Foreign titles swept Vietnam’s weekend box office for the first time since the Lunar New Year season, pushing local films down the rankings.
Doraemon The Movie: New Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil is the 45th installment in the long-running annual Doraemon theatrical film series.
The 45th installment of the Doraemon movie franchise has stormed Vietnamese cinemas, grossing VND37.5 billion ($1.47 million) from early screenings alone, while films starring Quoc Truong and Ngoc Trinh posted disappointing box office results.
Although Doraemon The Movie: New Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil will not officially open until May 22, the film has already become a major hit during preview screenings over the weekend.
The release coincided with the end of the school year for many students, leaving cinemas overcrowded with families and young audiences.
According to Box Office Vietnam, the 45th Doraemon feature earned VND37.5 billion ($1.47 million) after just three days of sneak previews, dominating both screening schedules and ticket sales compared to competing releases.
Doraemon rides nostalgia wave
Doraemon The Movie: New Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil is the 45th theatrical release in the long-running Doraemon franchise.
More than four decades after the original 1983 version debuted, the remake brings audiences back to one of Doraemon’s most beloved adventures.
From familiar futuristic gadgets and vibrant underwater civilizations to Nobita’s emotional coming-of-age journey alongside his friends, the film blends nostalgia with fresh storytelling, creating what many viewers describe as a deep dive into childhood memories with a more modern cinematic style.
Foreign films dominate the charts
A scene from Goodbye Gohan.
Ranking second at the weekend box office was the emotional Thai dog film Goodbye Gohan, which earned VND11 billion ($431,000) during its first three days in theaters, according to Box Office Vietnam.
South Korean horror film Korean Mudang: Tiger Devours Humans followed in third place with VND8 billion ($313,000).
It marked the first time since the Lunar New Year movie season that the top three highest-grossing films of the weekend were all foreign productions rather than Vietnamese titles.
The remaining spots in the top five belonged to the horror films Heo 5 mong and Phi phong, which have grossed nearly VND122 billion ($4.78 million) and almost VND199 billion ($7.8 million) respectively after several weeks in theaters.
Vietnamese films struggle
Ngoc Trinh attends the premiere event for Tham my vien am phu (The Haunted Beauty Clinic).
Meanwhile, Mot thoi ta da yeu (Once We Were in Love), featuring Quoc Truong, ranked 10th in weekend revenue, earning just VND1 billion ($39,000) after three days of release.
Tham my vien am phu (The Haunted Beauty Clinic), starring Ngoc Trinh in the lead role, placed 13th and grossed VND12 billion ($470,000) after 10 days in cinemas.
Industry observers predict Vietnamese theaters will continue to be dominated by Doraemon next weekend once the film officially premieres nationwide, especially as students at many schools begin their summer holidays.
Vietnamnet.vn
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