Before the release of "The Four Guardians", Tran Thanh affirmed that this was his most unique film during Tet. According to the director, in the past, his films were often criticized by audiences for having too much crying and heavy psychology...
That's why, in the 2025 Tet film season, he wants to change the audience's taste with a comedy, romance, and mainly focuses on young people.
Tran Thanh once shared with reporters that he compared "The Four Guardians" to a test to measure the audience's taste and said he was ready to accept any outcome of the film, even failure.
When the reporter asked "Is "The Four Guardians" less intense than previous films?", Tran Thanh said: "I want to do a test with a film for young people, to see if it can earn revenue like other works. Whether it's better or worse, first of all, we have to be new, we can't let people label it: "Mr. Tran Thanh's films are always heavy and full of tears".
I will consider the results. If I fail, I will do it again, no problem. As long as I don't do it badly, I don't feel ashamed of myself and those who trust me, that's fine."
And with the results achieved at the present time according to the producer's announcement, "The Four Guardians" earned 300 billion VND after about 2 weeks of showing. The film also set a record as the highest-grossing film shown during Tet 2025.
So, did Tran Thanh really fail?
In terms of revenue, buzz, and appeal of "The Four Guardians", Tran Thanh is not a failure compared to other Vietnamese film projects. According to Box Office Vietnam statistics, the number of Vietnamese films that have earned over 300 billion VND in revenue can be counted on one hand. In fact, for many years, filmmakers and audiences have assumed that Vietnamese films that exceed 100 billion VND are successful.
In 2024, except for Tran Thanh and Ly Hai's films, no Vietnamese film will exceed 150 billion VND in revenue. This shows that the current revenue of "The Four Guardians" is a dream number for many filmmakers. With the current revenue, Tran Thanh also pockets a huge amount of money from the film's profits.
Furthermore, when "The Four Guardians" was released, the film was at the top of Vietnamese audiences' searches. Discussions and sharing about the film, the cast and acting were also lively, proving the film's great appeal.
Although "The Avengers" has encountered many controversies, it cannot be denied that there is still a large audience who loves and has good reviews about the film.
If we consider Tran Thanh's own achievements, "The Four Guardians" is a step back in his directing career.
Previously, "Bo gia", "Nha ba nu", "Mai" all had huge revenue of 395 billion VND, 475 billion VND and 550 billion VND respectively. "The Four Guardians" has only reached 300 billion VND and revenue at the theater is decreasing sharply.
Compared to previous projects, many audiences and experts have assessed that the content, camera angles, and acting of the cast of "The Four Guardians" are not really impressive. The film has many errors, revenue has decreased, and it is difficult to maintain the top 1 position at the box office like Tran Thanh's previous films.
Now it seems that there is an answer to Tran Thanh's test. Perhaps, in this project, Tran Thanh is allowing himself to take a break to start with more invested films.
