Expectations of Vietnamese cinema from hundred billion dong movies

Vietnamese cinema is witnessing spectacular progress as a series of works continuously surpass the hundred billion dong mark in revenue. That success reflects the growing appeal of domestic films to audiences.

Premiere of the film "Red Rain" at the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel relic. Photo: VNA

Historical and political films "reign"

According to statistics from the Box Office system, in the first 9 months of 2025, there were 6 works with revenue of hundreds of billions of VND, spread across many genres from comedy, romance, horror, action to psychology and society. Films such as "Sister-in-law", "The Four Guardians", "The Billionaire Kiss", "The Ghost Lamp", "The Ancestral House" or "The Ghost in the Palace" all recorded impressive revenue from 150 to more than 300 billion VND. In particular, "The Four Guardians" reached the milestone of more than 330 billion VND, "Detective Kien: The Headless Case" and "The Ancestral House" also exceeded 240 billion VND.

If in previous years, a Vietnamese film earning hundreds of billions of VND was considered a rare feat, now this revenue milestone has become a feasible target for many producers. The thorough investment from the script, staging, special effects to promotion and communication strategies helps the works reach a wide audience. This is also a signal that the Vietnamese film market has entered a highly competitive phase, where audiences are willing to pay for quality cinematic experiences.

In that vibrant picture, the two projects “Red Rain” and “Fight to the Death in the Sky” also became box office phenomena. Both exploited new topics, which were considered difficult to conquer the mass audience, but created a “fever” right from their release.

“Red Rain” is a film project directed by Dang Thai Huyen, set during the 81 historic days and nights at Quang Tri Citadel in 1972. After only 3 days of release, the film surpassed the 100 billion VND mark. After a week, the film reached the 200 billion VND mark, becoming the highest-grossing war film ever. To date, the film continues to set a new record when it reached nearly 700 billion VND, becoming the highest-grossing Vietnamese film in history. This success not only brings pride to the production crew but also opens up a new direction for Vietnamese cinema in exploiting the themes of war and history, which have long been considered “picky audiences”.

Meanwhile, “Fighting in the Sky” (director: Ham Tran) is the first film in Vietnamese cinema to exploit the topic of hijacking, combining elements of action, drama and human emotions. Released in mid-September, the film quickly attracted attention and took only 5 days to surpass the 100 billion VND mark, leading the box office in the first week of screening. The fact that a film with a sensitive, rarely exploited topic achieved impressive revenue shows that Vietnamese audiences today are ready to accept bold, different works.

Experts say that the increasing number of Vietnamese films with revenue of hundreds of billions of VND is a positive sign that domestic audiences are accompanying domestic films more strongly. It is worth noting that in addition to entertainment genres, political, historical and war films are beginning to receive investment attention. This is an important step forward that both affirms the creative potential of filmmakers and expands the diverse choices for the public.

According to critic Le Hong Lam, Vietnamese audiences today do not only go to the cinema for pure entertainment but are also more interested in works with depth, reflecting history and society. Therefore, if properly invested, historical, war or political films can completely conquer the mass audience. These films not only help the young generation understand more about the national past but also inspire, arouse pride and love for the country. "This trend shows that the majority of young people are looking for empathy, pride and meaningful experiences in addition to the need for entertainment. This is also the motivation for filmmakers to boldly try their hand at big topics, contributing to bringing Vietnamese cinema closer to the public," said critic Le Hong Lam.

Affirming the position of Vietnamese cinema

The increase of hundred-billion-dong films not only brings economic benefits to the film industry but also creates a foundation to affirm the Vietnamese film brand in the regional market. However, to maintain this attraction, according to many experts, filmmakers still have to face many challenges.

Director Bui Trung Hai assessed that the quality of the script and creativity are the key factors that determine the sustainable success of a film. Besides, box office revenue can be achieved thanks to a strong promotional campaign, but for a film to reach the audience and have a long-term vitality, it needs a polished script, rich characters, and a clear humanistic message.

“A film can attract audiences in the first week thanks to curiosity and massive media coverage, but it is the depth of content and artistic value that keeps audiences coming back, creating a reputation for the film for many years to come,” said the director.

For Vietnamese films to develop stably, director Bui Trung Hai believes that allocating screenings, balancing Vietnamese and foreign films, and ensuring fair competition in the market requires close coordination between producers, distributors, and theater systems.

Similarly, according to director Victor Vu, Vietnamese cinema needs to boldly diversify its topics, not just stopping at popular genres such as history, war or action because today's audiences have very diverse needs, from psychological, social, comedy, romance to animation, fantasy or children's films. The richness of genres not only meets the needs of different audiences but also creates opportunities for filmmakers to express their creativity, expand the market and integrate internationally.

Director Victor Vu believes that filmmakers need long-term investment in training human resources, from screenwriters, directors, special effects to the media team to ensure that each film project is well-prepared and professional.

The consecutive success of many films with revenue of hundreds of billions of VND has opened a new development stage for Vietnamese cinema. This is not only a positive sign in terms of revenue but also affirms the maturity of the market, the serious investment of producers and especially the growing trust of the audience. With the current breakthrough, Vietnamese cinema has every reason to expect a strong future, where domestic films not only conquer the domestic audience but also gradually affirm their position on the regional and world cinema map.

According to VNA

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/ky-vong-cua-dien-anh-viet-nhin-tu-phim-tram-ty-dong-a462423.html