According to a distributor in Vietnam, the 40 domestic films screened in 2018 grossed about 750 billion VND (US$32million). That result was equal to last year, even though both the number of films and the number of theatres have increased. Only seven films were successful in generating revenue, and more than two-thirds of the films suffered heavy losses. These figures show that Vietnamese cinema is at risk of recession, there is a lack of variety in consumer tastes, and rom-com movies still dominate the market.
The seven films were Twin Brothers (Siêu Sao Siêu Ngố) directed by Duc Thinh, Face Off 3 (Lật Mặt 3: Ba Chàng Khuyết) directed by Ly Hai, Go-Go Sisters (Tháng Năm Rực Rỡ) directed by Nguyen Quang Dung, My Mr. Wife (Chàng Vợ Của Em) directed by Charlie Nguyen, 798Ten (798Mười) directed by Dustin Nguyen, The Cougar Queen (Gái Già Lắm Chiêu 3) directed by Nam Cito & Bao Nhan, and Daddy Issues (Hồn Papa Da Con Gái) directed by Ken Ochiai, ranked from high to low box office.
Before the seven hit films of 2018, the most successful films in the Vietnam market in the last five years were rom-coms or women-led films including Jailbait (Em Chưa 18) directed by Le Thanh Son, Sweet 20 (Em Là Bà Nội Của Anh) directed by Phan Gia Nhat Linh, The Tailor (Cô Ba Sài Gòn) directed by Kay Nguyen and Buu Loc Tran, Mother in Law (Mẹ Chồng) directed by Ly Minh Thang. The other highest-grossing movies in the pantheon of all-time top 10 hits in Vietnam are comedy or horror films: Let Hoi Decide (Để Mai Tính 2) directed by Charlie Nguyen, Vengeful Heart (Quả Tim Máu) directed by Victor Vu, and Crazy Teo Em (Tèo Em) directed by Charlie Nguyen.
Of these films, Twin Brothers and 798Ten were released during the Lunar New Year holiday and benefited from Vietnam’s most celebrated holiday. The revenue of 108 billion VND (US$4,654million) of Twin Brothers was considered a surprise since this film is an old-fashioned entertainer of average quality.
Audiences were mainly attracted by Truong Giang, a comedian with a large fan base. 798Ten, a comedy drama of better quality by director Dustin Nguyen, though not as successful as expected, had an acceptable gross of about 55 billion VND (US$2,369 million).
Go-Go Sisters, Face Off 3, and My Mr. Wife (by Charlie Nguyễn) proudly surpassed the milestone of 80 billion VND (US$3.5 million). The commercial success of these three films was satisfactory because were good quality movies which met audience expectations. Go-Go Sisters is a remake of the Korean film Sunny (directed by Kang Hyeong-cheol), and My Mr. Wife is adapted from a best-selling French novel. So both contain elements “borrowed” from foreign works.
Face Off 3 is a striking phenomenon. Face Off has grown a franchise or a brand name of an original work by a Vietnamese scriptwriter and director. Although Ly Hai is not a skilled director, and his filmmaking style is sometimes too laid back, he has a unique gift, and one that other Vietnamese film-makers rarely have. That is, he dares to go to the extreme. His success shows that dedication and hard work can beat innate talent. He has challenged himself to film in difficult locations, and to make adventurous scenes which stimulate an adrenaline rush in the audience.
This explains why even though Face Off 3 clashed with the biggest Hollywood blockbuster of the year, Avengers: Infinity Wars, on the April 30 holiday, Ly Hai’s movie still grossed around 85 billion VND (US$3,664 million), turning it into the highest-grossing entry in the Face Off series. The film’s budget was about 17 billion VND, or US$730,00. The success of the Face Off series shows that it is possible to choose your own path in the film industry, and a fourth instalment is in the works. So let’s wait and see if the success of Ly Hai is a temporary or lasting phenomenon. Hopefully he will not disappear like the once-successful producer Phuoc Sang did.
The diverse tastes the Vietnamese audience possesses is probably something worth mentioning. The Vietnamese audience is almost always fond of genres such as romance, comedy, horror movies, all of which are popular with women aged 17 to 25, who are the primary audience. Works in other genres, including independent, art-house and experimental films, are likely to make a loss. In 2017, two art house films, The Way Station (Đảo Của Dân Ngụ Cư), directed by Hong Anh, and Father & Son (Cha Cõng Con), directed by Luong Dinh Dung, struggled to sell tickets and flopped at the box office. In 2018, the same happened to good movies like Song Lang (by Leon Quang Lê), Summer in Closed Eyes (Nhắm Mắt Thấy Mùa Hè) by Cao Thúy Nhi, Actress Wanted (Vai Diễn Đổi Đời) directed by Nguyễn Quang Minh, Murder in the Lens (Ống Kính Sát Nhân) directed by Nguyễn Hữu Hoàng, and Dream Man (Lời Kết Bạn Chết Chóc) directed by Roland Nhân Nguyễn.
Song Lang and Summer in Closed Eyes received positive feedback from the media and went viral on social networks, but they did not attain commercial success. Summer in Closed Eyes earnt about VND 12 billion (US$520.000), and Song Lang approximately 5 billion VND (US$220.000). It’s disappointing considering their exemplary quality and style. Both express the film-makers’ personal artistic vision and independence. They do not follow any existing models or bend to the demands of the producer. But the Vietnamese audience is not interested in this type of movie.
Crime films that blend in some horror like Murder in the Lens, Actress Wanted or Dream Man, ended up the same. Although nothing new to foreign audiences, such films are still exotic in Vietnam. Breaking the psychological barriers and habits of Vietnamese audiences is a real challenge for any filmmaker. Vietnamese audiences tend to stick to one genre until they get bored with it – then they abandon it.
The Vietnamese film market in 2018 has regressed. Bad films and commercial failures have always made up a large proportion of releases in Vietnam each year, but during the last 10 years, the number of such films has increased. The results have proved that. Out of the 40 films released in 2018, about 30 films made losses, and some even lost all their investment.
Remakes of Korean films like My Sassy Girl (Yêu Em Bất Chấp), co-productions with Korea like Lala: Hãy Để Em Yêu Anh, and films that had a cheesy or nonsense titles like Yêu Em Từ Khi Nào, or Yêu Nữ Siêu Quậy, all disappeared because of their bad quality and old-fashioned style.
The other films flopped, and highlighted the typical weakness of Vietnamese cinema: the script. The budget of a Vietnamese film is at an average of 8 to 12 billion VND (US$300.000 to 500.000) and bound by a share of at least 50/50 with the cinema theatre owners. But the revenue of many films is only around a few billion VND, or even as low as a few hundred million VND (Yêu Em Từ Khi Nào).
Even the romantic films released on the Valentine’s Day 2018 only took 100 million VND (US$4,310).
The pathetic failure of most Vietnamese films in 2018 is understandable. Producers have a short-term vision, following the trend that anybody can make a film even if they only have a vague idea of the film industry. Scripts are clumsy, patchy, nonsensical, and full of absurd or unreasonable things.
Films directed by amateur, first-time, unskilled filmmakers, have clearly demonstrated a clumsy, old, and borrowed style and sensibility. Additionally, audiences are fed up with the forced, bland and soulless acting of actors and actresses. When it is not easy to win an audience with true quality, producers have spread scandal to fool the audience.
As a result, Vietnamese cinema will face a recession if Vietnamese producers and filmmakers do not wake up to the facts. The lesson of the complete decline and disappearance of the “instant noodles” genre in the 1990s (films were made quickly and cheaply, shot on video and distributed direct to the theatres) is still valuable.
On the positive side, the bitter end of many rubbish Vietnamese films is expected. More than ever, Vietnamese cinema needs to eliminate the nonsensical rubbish films and open up opportunities for talented filmmakers. Vietnamese cinema still has many opportunities to grow, and the time will surely come when audiences will favour quality Vietnamese films which meet their expectations.
1 USD = 23,194.39 VND
2018
TOP 10 HITS IN VIETNAM (in billion VND)
1. Avengers: Infinity War (USA) 186
2. Twin Brothers (Vietnam) 108
3. Black Panther (USA) 103,4
4. Aquaman (USA) 100,9
5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (USA) 94,5
6. The Nun (USA) 90,3
7. Incredibles 2 (USA) 90,2
8. My Mr. Wife (Vietnam) 87
9. Venom (USA) 86,4
10. Face Off 3 (Vietnam) 85.5
TOP 10 HITS OF DOMESTIC FILMS IN VIETNAM OF ALL TIME (in billion VND)
1. Cua Lại Vợ Bầu 176,5 (*)
2. Jailbait 172
3. Twin Brothers 108
4. Sweet 20 102
5. Let Hoi Decide 101
6. My Mr. Wife 87
7. Face Off 3 85,5
8. Vengeful Heart 85
9. Go-Go Sisters 85
10. Crazy Teo Em 84
(*) According to the announcement of the distributor Galaxy, approximately until 17/2/2019
Le Hong Lam