The movie Sister-in-law has a rival, closing the gap on Vietnamese cinema in 2024, threatening to usurp the throne

The last Vietnamese film of 2024 is Kaleidoscope: Catch the Ghost, the film officially premiered on December 23. The work is directly competing with the current top 1 box office film, Sister-in-law, in an extremely fierce ticket race.

On the evening of December 23, Kaleidoscope: Catch the Ghost opened nationwide. The film was adapted from the novel of the same name by writer Nguyen Nhat Anh. Along with Sister-in-law, the film directed by Vo Thanh Hoa is one of two Vietnamese films released at the end of the year.

The film revolves around the characters Quy Rom, Tieu Long and Hanh, who are closely associated with the names Ngoc Trai, Vu Long and Anh Dao. The new point is that the film does not let the three actors "pretend to be young". The three actors above play the adult versions. The child versions of the characters are played by Hung Anh (Quy), Nhat Linh (Tieu Long) and Phuong Duyen (Hanh).

After the early screening, director Vo Thanh Hoa said that Kaleidoscope is a work that is associated with the childhood of many viewers. It took him three years to find a new direction after deciding to take on the film project.

With content mainly revolving around students and teenagers, the film is difficult to reach many audiences. Vo Thanh Hoa said he did not make this film for commercial purposes. The actor wanted to become a bridge connecting and healing all ages.

"I hope that audiences, regardless of generation, after watching the film can find beautiful memories and feel comforted and encouraged. If the film is worthy, I hope everyone will give Kaleidoscope a chance to spread widely," said Vo Thanh Hoa. The film's producer representative said that Kaleidoscope is a connection between nostalgia and the present, suitable as spiritual food for all ages.

Kaleidoscope: The Ghost Revenge is receiving mixed reviews from audiences. Some early viewers said the film attempted to recreate the rural setting of the TV version, evoking the ghost hunting scene in the hills of the TV series. However, the performances of the three child actors were criticized by viewers as being less engaging than in the original version.

After the early screenings, the revenue of Kaleidoscope: Catch the Ghost is at 952.7 million VND, as of the morning of December 24. Data from Box Office Vietnam shows that the film adapted from the novel by writer Nguyen Nhat Anh is ranked fourth in Vietnamese theaters, selling 2,752 tickets/1,344 screenings.

Sister-in-law is leading the number of screenings and revenue on the morning of December 24. Director Khuong Ngoc's film sold 25/014 tickets/2,913 screenings, earning 1.7 billion VND. The film's total revenue is around 34 billion VND.

After four days in theaters and holding the top spot, Sister-in-law's top position is being threatened by a comedy from Thailand. 404 Run Now is chasing Sister-in-law on the morning of December 24 with 20,689 tickets/2,504 screenings, earning 1.62 billion VND. With humorous content, suitable for entertainment needs during Christmas and New Year, the comedy from Thailand is a competitor of Viet Huong and Hong Dao in Vietnamese theaters.

Sister-in-law is a project that was introduced quite late, and its release date at the end of the year was more rushed than many other works.

However, the film still attracted attention because it was rated 16, bringing together familiar faces such as Viet Huong, Hong Dao, Le Khanh, Dinh Y Nhung, Ngoc Trinh. Over the past three weekends, the project earned more than 22 billion VND with 258,833 tickets in 7,840 screenings. The film's total revenue was more than 25 billion VND, selling an average of 33 tickets/show.

This number is not too big but still shows that the film attracts audiences. Notably, despite fewer screenings, the opening weekend revenue of Sister-in-law is still much higher than that of Cong Tu Bac Lieu (17 billion).

Sister-in-law's success is thanks to a good promotional strategy, plus the appearance of a familiar cast. Many audiences are curious about the first time Viet Huong and Hong Dao collaborate on the big screen. Not to mention, this is also the project that marks Ngoc Trinh's return after her private life's turmoil and legal troubles.

The film also created a good word-of-mouth effect on social networking sites. Most of the reviews said that the film's content was close and easy to understand, and the acting of Hong Dao, Viet Huong, Le Khanh... also left a good impression on viewers.

The film with Ngoc Trinh, Viet Huong is about to reach 100 billion, "crushing" 1 Vietnamese film Gia Nhi15:41:28 07/01/2025After a period of theaters, the movie Sister-in-law starring Hong Dao, Viet Huong, and Ngoc Trinh earned more than 93 billion VND, ranking second in the Vietnamese theater market revenue in the first week of the new year 2025.