Tran Thanh was out of breath on the international track, "Rabbit!" dropped on the global charts

After a huge debut in the international market, Tran Thanh's fifth "child" – Rabbit! – began to show signs of cooling down on the world box office charts. Despite dropping in ratings, the film is still holding impressive sales milestones in its homeland.

Pressure from international blockbusters

As of this morning, on the global box office charts, Rabbit! has retreated from 33rd place to 37th place. The drop of 4 places takes place less than two weeks after the film was officially released to international audiences on March 19. This is considered an inevitable consequence when Vietnamese works face fierce competition from Hollywood masterpieces and major cinemas during the peak period of release.

Previously, the film had a promising debut in more than 14 countries and territories. The list of markets spans from North America (USA, Canada), Oceania (Australia, New Zealand) to Asia (South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Singapore) and many European countries. Especially, in the early days of the premiere, Rabbit! once surprised when rising to the top of the revenue in some regions of North America and Europe – a rare achievement that Vietnamese cinema has achieved so far.

However, the rule of elimination of the international market is very harsh. The initial strong growth momentum could not be maintained under pressure from the "big guys". The decline in rankings shows the challenge of the endurance of Vietnamese films when stepping out to the big sea, where audience tastes are always constantly fluctuating.

Domestic box office "throne" in 2026

Although there are signs of shortness of breath in the international arena, in the domestic market, Rabbit! still proves its unique position. Up to now, the work has reached a revenue milestone of nearly 450 billion VND, officially becoming the most popular film at the Vietnamese box office in 2026.

This number not only strengthens Tran Thanh's box office guarantee "brand" but also shows the strong attraction of psychological and emotional films mixed with sensational elements. The reconciliation of entertainment and emotional slices of everyday life has helped the film retain domestic audiences for a long time.

A long step forward for Vietnamese cinema

Rabbit! is Tran Thanh's fifth film project as a director. The film belongs to the genre of romance - thriller - drama, inspired by real love stories through a bold personal perspective. The way of storytelling focusing on emotions and life elements continues to be a guideline to help Tran Thanh shape his distinct style.

Objectively viewed, despite the decline in global rankings, the journey of Rabbit! are still considered by experts to be a significant step forward. The fact that a film with bold cultural identity and personal imprint can enter the world rankings in the first week is an extremely positive signal.

The drop from 33rd to 37th place is not an alarming "slip", but a normative correction. Most importantly, the film's success in terms of recognition in the US, Europe or Japan is contributing to paving the way for the next Vietnamese works to reach global audiences.

Although "short of breath" on the international track, Rabbit! still successfully completed the mission in the domestic market and left a certain mark on the world cinema map. This is proof that Vietnamese films are completely capable of fair competition if there is a distribution strategy and content that is enough to touch the emotions of viewers.

Tran Thanh: From the "King of the Box Office" to the trillion-dollar director of Vietnamese cinema

In the Vietnamese entertainment industry, Tran Thanh is not only a versatile artist but also considered a "freak" capable of turning the box office around. Starting his career as a comedian and host, he quickly encroached on cinema and created unprecedented milestones. With a realistic filmmaking mindset, hitting the crowd psychology and hidden corners in family life, Tran Thanh has established his position as the director with the highest total revenue in the history of the country's cinema.

Before making a noise with Rabbit! In 2026, the male director already owns a huge cinematic "fortune" with records that are difficult to break: The Godfather (2021): The work marks a major turning point in his directorial career. The film exploits the theme of fatherhood in a poor alley in Saigon, earning more than 420 billion VND, opening the era of hundreds of billions of films for Vietnamese cinema.

Ba Nu's House (2023): Following the success, Tran Thanh presents a story about generational conflict and family pressure. This work immediately "broke" all the charts at that time with a record revenue of up to 475 billion VND. Mai (2024): A more mature step in Tran Thanh's cinematic language. The film deeply exploits the status of women and social prejudices, officially making him the first director to have a total revenue exceeding 1,000 billion VND after just a few works.

Tran Thanh's career is not only limited to pure sales figures, but also a journey to shape a distinct storytelling style: centered on personal emotions and a true reflection of the rhythm of contemporary social life. Each of his projects has become the focus of the media, affirming the undeniable influence of Tran Thanh's name on the art map.

Besides the "huge" revenue numbers and position on the charts, Rabbit! still encountered many conflicting views from the mass audience. A part of viewers thinks that, although Tran Thanh has been more restrained in staging, the film still has a bold "dramatic" trend with dense and somewhat noisy dialogue segments — a feature that has become a trademark but is also a controversial weakness of the male director.

On film forums, many fastidious viewers believe that the film's drop in ranking on the international charts is understandable, because of the story of Rabbit! although it touches the emotions of Vietnamese people, it does not have enough weight in terms of cinematic language to overcome strict cultural barriers in Western markets. "Revenue in Vietnam reflects the attraction of the name Tran Thanh, but to survive internationally, films need more than familiar psychological dramas," an account specializing in film reviews shared. This polarization shows that the audience is becoming more and more demanding, no longer just looking at numbers, but beginning to demand a real breakthrough in artistry and cinematic depth from the producer.

My Tam spoke directly to Tran Thanh's face, making a shocking statement about the movie Tai is much better than Rabbit! An Thảo14:05:36 09/03/2026Although the Tai film project is reaping positive revenue, producer My Tam still maintains a humble and skillful attitude when facing somewhat sensitive compliments from the audience.