Colonel Kieu Thanh Thuy answers the question: Where did the 700 billion revenue of 'Red Rain' go?

Colonel Kieu Thanh Thuy - Production Director of "Red Rain".

- The success of "Red Rain" exceeded the expectations of filmmakers and audiences. As a companion from the very beginning, were you surprised by the wide public reception?

People's Army Cinema produced Red Rain in accordance with its political functions and tasks, with the meaning of paying tribute to the great sacrifices of generations of fathers and brothers who fought heroically and died in the anti-American resistance wars of the nation in general and our soldiers and compatriots who fought to protect Quang Tri Citadel in 1972.

The film also aims to educate the young generation about revolutionary traditions to promote the 80th anniversary of the successful August Revolution and the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

After more than 2 years of production, the film was completed on the occasion of the anniversary. With the attention and permission of the superiors, we coordinated with the distribution unit to bring the film to the public.

In fact, we had no budget for promotion, the spread of Red Rain was entirely thanks to the audience's affection. In just 3 weeks, nearly 8 million people went to the cinema, many of whom were young people who watched the film multiple times. The greatest success of Red Rain was that it touched the hearts of viewers, thereby affirming its meaning of gratitude and profound educational value.

- There are opinions that, with the large scale, the production cost of "Red Rain" is certainly very high. As the Production Director, can you give a specific figure?

Military Cinema is an administrative unit under the Ministry of National Defense , making films is an assigned political task. With Red Rain, if only Military Cinema is alone, it cannot be done without the great coordination and support of military forces with a regular army of about 300 - 500 people participating in tasks related to weapons, equipment, supplies, transportation, logistics...

Along with that, the local people, despite many difficulties in life, still enthusiastically helped, willing to give up their farmland to build the scene. This is a contribution that cannot be measured in money, showing the gratitude of the army and people towards history.

It can be said that the success of the film is the result of the combined strength and consensus of the army and the people, a testament to the affection, responsibility and gratitude towards history, not a purely cost-benefit calculation project.

Colonel Kieu Thanh Thuy at the "Red Rain" film set in Quang Tri.

- After the success of "Red Rain", many opinions want to keep the film studio in Quang Tri to serve tourism and traditional education. What is the Colonel's opinion on this issue?

Right from the selection of the setting, the leaders of Quang Tri province were very interested, mobilizing departments, branches, sectors and local people to participate and the people lent us more than 40 hectares of cultivated land to make a film set. The province also raised the issue of studying to keep the film set after the film crew finished filming.

However, through actual survey, maintenance requires a lot of resources for reinforcement and maintenance, while the low-lying terrain is difficult to protect during the rainy season. Therefore, after completing the task, the film studio was dismantled and the site returned to the people as committed.

This is also a pity, because the spreading effect of Red Rain shows that if maintained, the film studio can become a meaningful cultural and tourist destination of Quang Tri province. However, the greatest success of Red Rain is that it has touched the hearts of the audience, especially veterans who have experienced the battlefield.

"Red Rain" is the first Vietnamese film to reach nearly 700 billion.

- With revenue of nearly 700 billion VND - the highest in the history of Vietnam's box office, many audiences are interested in how this revenue will be used?

Military Cinema is an administrative unit under the General Department of Politics (Ministry of National Defense). The production costs of Red Rain come from the state budget for national defense, along with the coordination and contribution of human and material resources from agencies and units inside and outside the military. Therefore, it cannot be converted by conventional economic measures.

The nationwide release of films to theaters is approved by the superiors, allowing the producer to coordinate with a professional distribution unit. Box office revenue is divided according to regulations: the theater receives a percentage, minus distribution, communication and related costs, the remainder belongs to the producer.

As an administrative unit, all revenue from Red Rain is managed, used and settled in accordance with the regulations of the State and the Ministry of National Defense, including the responsibility to pay the budget according to regulations.

Colonel Kieu Thanh Thuy talks about the revenue of "Red Rain":

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dai-ta-kieu-thanh-thuy-tra-loi-cau-hoi-doanh-thu-700-ty-cua-mua-do-ve-dau-2442746.html