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The 2025 Lunar New Year holiday lasted 9 days, enough time for everyone to enjoy the first days of the new year, gathering with family and friends. However, on the cinematic front, the Lunar New Year film season was quite short, lasting only 5 days. Despite this, the 2025 Lunar New Year film season managed to leave many unforgettable impressions on audiences, especially the spectacular breakthrough of "The Four Revengeful Ones".
A breath of fresh air or an old formula?
As of the morning of February 4th, the box office picture for the 2025 Lunar New Year film season is gradually emerging with impressive figures, clearly reflecting the fierce competition among Vietnamese films. Tran Thanh's "The Four Villains" is demonstrating overwhelming strength, achieving a revenue of 227 billion VND, a dream figure for any filmmaker.
With record-breaking revenue figures from:The Godfather, Mai, Mrs. Nu's HouseTran Thanh has proven his irresistible appeal to Vietnamese audiences. Although his works often revolve around family themes and use familiar actors, the powerful effect they create every Tet holiday is undeniable.
Tran Thanh innovates in comedy filmmaking to better connect with Gen Z.
It's noteworthy that Tran Thanh is not only the director, producer, and lead actor of "The Four Vengeful Spirits," but he also invested in "Falling in Love with My Best Friend." In fact, "The Four Vengeful Spirits" is currently grossing more than 17 times more than "Falling in Love with My Best Friend," a huge difference reflecting the disparity in the two films' success.
Released to audiences on the first day of the Lunar New Year, "The Four Vengeful Spirits" is expected to further solidify Tran Thanh's position as the "king of the Lunar New Year box office," a title he has firmly held for three consecutive years. However, Tran Thanh's continuous dominance of the Lunar New Year box office over the past three years has also generated mixed opinions, even causing an imbalance in the Vietnamese film market, which always needs diversity and healthy competition.
The actor continues to dominate the box office, maintaining his strong performance for three consecutive years.
Tran Thanh's dominance at the Lunar New Year box office in recent years is undeniable. Films he has directed and produced have consistently achieved resounding success, raking in huge revenues and far surpassing competitors. This demonstrates the special appeal of Tran Thanh to Vietnamese audiences and affirms his talent and knack for filmmaking.
However, Tran Thanh's continuous "big wins" have also led many to question the sustainability of his directing career. Can Tran Thanh maintain this momentum in the coming years, or is it just a temporary "craze"?
The director said he is ready and happy to receive and listen to all feedback from the audience in order to improve further.
Besides Tran Thanh's "The Four Vengeful Spirits," Thu Trang and Tien Luat's "Billion Dollar Kiss" is also an intriguing mystery of the 2025 Lunar New Year film season. This film has attracted audience attention since the first information was revealed.
Initially, the film was announced as "The Perfect Ride" and its plot revolved around a surprising and exciting New Year's Eve ride. However, with only a few days left until the Lunar New Year, the producers unexpectedly changed the film's title to "The Billion Dollar Kiss" and altered the poster. This change sparked curiosity among viewers about the potential plot shift.
Regarding competition on the racetrack, Thu Trang believes that there is a high demand for entertainment and audiences generally prefer lighthearted and relaxing content during the Lunar New Year.
Despite not having a grand release like its two Lunar New Year box office rivals and lacking a big name that could truly "carry" the box office revenue, "The Billion Dollar Kiss" still managed to attract audience attention and gradually build momentum outside the box office.
A new and exciting highlight in this year's Lunar New Year film market.
Most recently, the production team of "Billion Dollar Kiss" unexpectedly announced that the film's number of screenings has been increased to over 1000 due to sold-out tickets and unfavorable showtimes, leading to audience complaints about not being able to see the film. The increase in screenings stems from the positive reaction from viewers on social media. Viewers praised the film for its lighthearted and charming script and easily understandable message. While the cast isn't exceptionally brilliant, their performances are generally satisfactory.
We need more diverse genres.
The Vietnamese film market is experiencing extremely vibrant development, with the emergence of numerous films diverse in genre and content. However, alongside these positive signs, domestic filmmakers still face many difficulties and challenges on their path to winning the hearts of audiences.
One of the most challenging problems facing Vietnamese cinema is the prejudice that "commercial films" are synonymous with "senseless comedies." For many years, Vietnamese audiences have become accustomed to mindless comedies lacking depth in content and artistic value. This has created a significant psychological barrier for genuine filmmakers who strive to bring audiences quality, humanistic works.
However, in recent years, the Vietnamese film market has seen encouraging changes. Many high-grossing films not only provide refreshing laughter for audiences but also contain meaningful messages about life, human relationships, and traditional cultural values. Audiences have become more discerning; they no longer go to the cinema just to laugh but also want to enjoy films that are rich in emotion and humanistic values.
For audiences, each Lunar New Year film season is eagerly anticipated and receives much attention. This also serves as motivation for the Vietnamese film industry to invest and innovate.
Screenwriter Trinh Thanh Nha commented that high-grossing films in recent years have possessed a significant cultural value. This is a positive sign, indicating that Vietnamese audiences are becoming increasingly conscious in their choices and enjoyment of cinematic works.
However, the Vietnamese film industry is not solely focused on box office successes. There are still concerns and significant gaps that need filling. One of these is the lack of mainstream films, a major disappointment for Vietnamese cinema in recent years. Any film industry, no matter how developed, needs a balance between commercial and mainstream films. Commercial films meet the entertainment needs of audiences and generate revenue for producers, but mainstream films are the "soul" of the film industry, the "bridge" between the past, present, and future of a nation.
Mainstream films are cinematic works that explore the unique history, culture, and traditions of the country. They are not simply entertainment films but also "cultural works," "ambassadors" promoting the image of Vietnam and its people to the world.
The success of directors and producers with Lunar New Year films—a lucky start for Vietnamese cinema in the year—has created a "race" at the box office.
Looking at the world, we see that developed film industries like the US, France, and South Korea all have their own policies to support, maintain, and develop mainstream films. They consider this a task of cultural development, national promotion, and a "lever" for people-to-people diplomacy with the global public.
The lack of mainstream films not only affects the development of Vietnamese cinema but also has significant cultural and social consequences. It limits audiences, especially the younger generation, from accessing the historical and cultural values of the nation. To overcome this situation, the cooperation of filmmakers, cultural managers, and society as a whole is needed. The government needs to implement policies to support and encourage filmmakers to produce mainstream films. Filmmakers need to be aware of their responsibility in preserving and promoting the cultural values of the nation.
Hopefully, in the future, Vietnamese cinema will have more high-quality mainstream films that meet the viewing needs of audiences and contribute to the sustainable development of the country's film industry.
