Trấn Thành’s $600 Billion Opportunity Slips Away
From The Father to House of Aunt Nu and Mai, Trấn Thành has consistently dominated the Tet holiday box office, setting numerous revenue records. Many viewers have commented that Trấn Thành “created the habit of going to the movies during Tet,” “dominated the Tet box office,” or “only Trấn Thành could break his own records.”
Director Tran Thanh (Photo: Facebook)
The story initially seemed uneventful when Four Warriors hit theaters. With 129,000 advance tickets sold, the film was poised to dominate the competition. In its early days, Four Warriors captured 80% of the market share, breaking the record for fastest 100 billion VND in history, with over 6,000 screenings per day.
Audiences and industry experts believed that Four Warriors had the potential to surpass Mai‘s 520 billion VND record and solidify Tran Thanh’s position as the sole leader in the Tet film race once again.
Even critics like Le Hong Lam and the founder of Box Office Vietnam predicted that Four Warriors could reach 600 billion VND.
Tran Thanh admitted to taking risks by introducing new faces like Ty Vo, Quoc Anh, and Ky Duong into Four Warriors (Photo: Galaxy).
After five days in theaters with 200 billion VND in revenue, Four Warriors unexpectedly cooled down. Ticket sales slowed, and screening slots were no longer prioritized by cinemas.
On the ninth day (February 6), Four Warriors was dethroned by The Billion Dollar Kiss (directed by Thu Trang) and fell to third place in daily box office rankings. Although the film is expected to reach 300 billion VND (as of February 9) — the highest for any Tet film this year — this still marks a setback for Tran Thanh.
From 40 billion VND in daily earnings, Four Warriors now only brings in about 10 billion VND. From 6,000 screenings per day, it now averages 2,700 to 3,000. With current growth rates, the film is unlikely to surpass The Father‘s 475 billion VND, let alone match Mai‘s performance or achieve the 600 billion VND milestone.
What happened to Tran Thanh?
“Le Giang’s Spark” and Tran Thanh’s Costly Lesson
Many viewers and experts attribute Four Warriors’ decline and loss of dominance to several factors. Subjectively, the film faced criticism for its quality, being labeled as “Tran Thanh’s worst movie.”
Within days of release, Four Warriors received negative reviews online. From the script, characters, to Tran Thanh’s storytelling, many found it unsatisfactory. The wave of criticism spread across platforms, affecting neutral audiences and impacting ticket sales.
Controversies over “bad comedy” and the public spat involving Le Giang turned off many viewers (Screenshot).
Film critic Lucas Luân Nguyễn bluntly described Four Warriors as “instant noodles catering to and spoiling the audience during the Tet season.” He added, “It’s the worst in terms of emotion, social relevance, character development, and acting among Tran Thanh’s works.”
Nguyen Phong Việt, a film expert, told Dan Tri that the negative reviews significantly affected Four Warriors’ box office. The overwhelming critical feedback on social media made many viewers hesitant to buy tickets.
“For me, Four Warriors isn’t terrible, but it’s the weakest professionally among Tran Thanh’s films. The script is disjointed, the dialogue is noisy, and there are no moments for reflection, leaving many viewers uncomfortable after watching,” said Nguyen Phong Việt.
Amid the wave of criticism, Tran Thanh’s frequent rebuttals fueled more negativity (Photo: Facebook).
According to Nguyen Phong Việt, the controversy sparked by Le Giang’s verbal altercation and Tran Thanh’s less tactful responses widened the negative publicity surrounding Four Warriors.
On January 31, MC and director Quoc Thuận hinted at a “senseless, boring, and monotonous” Tet film without naming it. Actress Le Giang, who starred in Four Warriors, responded sharply: “Four Warriors isn’t senseless or boring. I will invite you to dinner and refund your ticket. I wish you could achieve even 1% of what Tran Thanh has done.”
“Le Giang’s response ignited a major PR crisis for the film. Tran Thanh tried to address it but his responses lacked humility, making the situation worse,” the expert noted.
Nguyen Phong Việt believes that when the film faced quality controversies, Tran Thanh should have simply acknowledged all feedback and expressed gratitude for audience support. Instead, his continuous comments, such as asking people not to “look for faults” or accusing critics of being negative, fueled more backlash.
The expert noted that 2,700-3,000 screenings per day is not a bad number, but the film’s revenue is still a failure compared to the initial goal of 400 billion VND.
“I think this outcome surprised both the audience and Tran Thanh. Initially, the advance ticket sales, screenings, and revenue growth were promising, making the 600 billion VND target seem achievable. This Tet season taught Tran Thanh a valuable lesson about his team’s public statements. It seems he believed in a loyal fanbase, but when the film faced negative critiques, neutral audiences shifted their support away due to his attitude.”
Unexpected Competitors Thwart Tran Thanh
On another front, Tran Thanh faced unexpected competitors this Tet season, preventing Four Warriors from maintaining its box office dominance.
The Billion Dollar Kiss by Thu Trang started with only 1,500 screenings per day and lagged behind Four Warriors in revenue. However, with increased marketing efforts and positive audience reviews, the film surged ahead, overtaking Four Warriors in daily box office rankings.
Duan Thien An stars in The Billion Dollar Kiss directed by Thu Trang (Photo: Film production team).
Joining the race later, Ghost Lantern by Hoang Nam was dubbed the “dark horse” that challenged Tran Thanh. Initially thought to be a quiet film, it unexpectedly gained traction, leading the box office and pushing Four Warriors to third place.
Over the weekend, The Billion Dollar Kiss earned 45 billion VND, Ghost Lantern 44 billion VND, while Four Warriors only brought in 32 billion VND. The Billion Dollar Kiss reaching 100 billion VND faster than expected highlights how Tran Thanh’s “slip” opened opportunities for competitors.
Box office trends in Vietnam from February 7 to 9 (Photo: Box Office Vietnam).
Nguyen Hoang Hai, Content Director at CGV Vietnam, shared with Dan Tri that this year’s shift in Tet film preferences reflects the growing diversity in audience tastes.
“The fact that Four Warriors did not maintain its lead as long as Tran Thanh’s previous films can be attributed to various factors, including competition from other films, word-of-mouth effects, and each film’s distribution and marketing strategies,” Hai explained.
Last year, Mai had no significant competition, with Sáng Đèn, Trà postponing its release to avoid clashing. The screening ratio between Mai and Gặp Lại Chị Bầu was heavily skewed, sparking debates about Tran Thanh’s “domination.”
This year, as Four Warriors lost momentum, it had to share screens with other films. Over the past five days, Four Warriors, The Billion Dollar Kiss, and Ghost Lantern have been evenly distributed, averaging around 2,300-3,000 screenings per day.
Hai explained that screen allocation at all theater chains is adjusted based on multiple factors. Initially, films with high advance ticket sales and audience interest receive more screenings. However, after a few days, theaters adjust based on actual data like revenue, occupancy rates, and audience feedback.
“In my view, the changing screen distribution this year reflects a more diverse audience preference. In the past, one film might dominate the entire market, but now audiences have more options and are interested in various genres, from comedy to horror. This is a positive sign, encouraging healthy competition and investment in quality content rather than relying on a few names.”
Regarding theater management, Hai emphasized balancing operations and providing quality choices for audiences. Adjustments are made based on real-time audience demand, not just initial expectations.
Director and cast of Ghost Lantern celebrate sold-out screenings in HCMC on February 9 (Photo: Facebook)
Despite this year’s trend of audiences seeking new experiences, some critics argue that Tet films still lack quality. Some viewers and experts noted that not only Four Warriors, but also films like The Billion Dollar Kiss and Ghost Lantern had questionable professional standards, loose scripts, and underwhelming performances.
Some even suggested that the Tet market allows audiences to watch poor-quality films because there aren’t many alternatives. As of February 10, Four Warriors reached 298 billion VND, The Billion Dollar Kiss 142 billion VND, and Ghost Lantern 50 billion VND, but many viewers felt the quality didn’t match the revenue.
Nguyen Phong Việt told Dan Tri that this year’s Tet films lacked standout professional merit.
“The Billion Dollar Kiss has a relatively light-hearted plot, not too offensive despite its average quality. Ghost Lantern offers a unique experience, giving audiences more diverse choices, even though its script has flaws.”
It’s clear that films competing with Four Warriors benefited from the PR crisis the film faced.
From a distributor’s perspective, Nguyen Hoang Hai saw the balanced audience and revenue of Tet films this year as a positive signal. “A more balanced market will foster sustainable growth in the film industry, allowing more filmmakers to reach broader audiences,” Hai concluded.
