"Red Rain" threatens the record of Tran Thanh and Ly Hai, the history of Vietnamese cinema changes hands

For many years, when it comes to the "king of box office" of Vietnamese cinema, audiences often immediately remember two names: Tran Thanh and Ly Hai. But suddenly, "Red Rain" – a war historical film appeared and created a real "earthquake".

As of 11 p.m. on September 2, "Red Rain" has reached 435 billion VND, becoming the fastest film to reach 400 billion VND in the history of Vietnamese cinema. This is an unbelievable number for a work that recreates 81 days and nights of Quang Tri Ancient Citadel – a topic that is often said to be "difficult" for the box office. This achievement helped the film surpass Tran Thanh's The Godfather to climb to 4th place on the list of the most popular Vietnamese movies of all time.

Notably, the gap between "Red Rain" and "Ba Nu's House" (475 billion) is only 40 billion, while "Flip Face 7" reached 483 billion and the current box office crown is "Mai" with 551 billion. With the current speed of ticket sales, many viewers believe that the film is completely capable of breaking records, even becoming the highest-grossing Vietnamese work.

What surprised many people was that "Red Rain" did not rely on a familiar formula like the "hot trend" cast or the easy-to-watch script. Instead, the film takes the audience back to the fierce battlefield, where thousands of soldiers sacrificed to protect the land of the Ancient Citadel. With an epic and emotional cinematic language, the work has turned a theme that is usually reserved for documentaries into a cinematic experience that touches the heart.

Many audiences not only go to see it once but also return to the theater to pay tribute and spread the spirit of patriotism. On social networks, a series of reviews and detailed analysis of each scene appeared, turning Red Rain into a socio-cultural phenomenon rather than just a hit movie.

There is an opinion that comparing Red Rain with the films of Tran Thanh or Ly Hai is forced because of the difference in genre. But in terms of revenue – the most common measure of box office success – comparisons are essential.

In the past 3-4 years, all 5 leading positions at the Vietnamese box office have been held by Tran Thanh and Ly Hai. It was once believed that only these names were enough to create a "storm of tickets". However, Red Rain has proven one thing: as long as the work is good and touches the emotions, the audience will be willing to spend money, regardless of genre.

This is a positive signal for Vietnamese cinema – opening up the belief that not only romance, comedy or horror films can win big, but also historical and war films can enter the commercial track.

In fact, Red Rain was not produced for purely commercial purposes. The director and crew wish to recreate the historical tragedy, paying tribute to his father on the occasion of National Day 2/9. However, an interesting paradox happened: the work itself that did not put much emphasis on "box office tricks" touched the hearts of viewers and achieved huge sales.

If compared to Hollywood, where superhero blockbusters need 700 million USD to succeed and drama films only need 200 million USD is a miracle, Red Rain also achieved a similar feat in Vietnam. A fair war historical film that competes with purely entertaining works – something few expected.

The most important thing that Red Rain left behind is not only hundreds of billions of revenue, but also an affirmation: Vietnamese audiences are willing to support films about national history if it is told in attractive cinematic language. The success of the work opens up hope for a new era, where Vietnamese cinema is more diverse, daring to exploit many other themes instead of just revolving around romance – humor.

Tran Thanh revealed the formula for making movies of hundreds of billions, how is it different from his senior Ly Hai? JLO15:36:24 08/05/2023Tran Thanh and Ly Hai are two male artists who have a lot in common when they have a transition in their careers to become a film producer and director with a turnover of hundreds of billions. Therefore, the two are being put on the 'balance' and become a controversial topic...