Vietnamese films rush to theaters
In the positive direction, 2025 still recorded clear bright spots. "Red Rain" - a war and historical film became a rare phenomenon when it achieved a revenue of 714 billion VND, showing that audiences are still ready to support Vietnamese films that are seriously invested, have stories and a meticulous production scale. Previously, "Death in the Air" with Thai Hoa and Kaity Nguyen also created a good effect, becoming one of the best-selling action movies of the year.
However, these successes account for only a small number. Most Vietnamese films released in theaters at the end of 2025 fell into a situation of low revenue, even heavy losses. Many works only grossed a few hundred million VND, quickly withdrawing from theaters after a short time, even though they were once expected or had familiar casts. Names such as "Purchase Shop: Playing with Play", "Blogged Heart" or some horror films released at the same time almost "sink" in the midst of a new film matrix.
The reason is not only the lack of promotion, but also the quality of content. At the end of 2025, the horror film genre continued to explode, but many works were commented on as repeating the old formula, relying on scare, lacking script depth. When audiences have to choose between too many films with similar colors, boredom is inevitable.
The rush of release schedules also makes films "step on each other". At times, 3 to 4 Vietnamese films are released in theaters in a week, leading to a situation of subdividing screening slots, films that have not yet created a word-of-mouth effect have been pushed out of theaters. The box office game therefore becomes a harsh screening, where only truly outstanding films can survive.
And the story of Tet movie quality
Entering the beginning of 2026, the Vietnamese film market continues to heat up with the Tet film season - a time that is always expected to bring in large revenues. A series of projects have been announced early, signaling an equally tense competition.
The names that are mentioned a lot for the Tet season and the beginning of 2026 include: "Nha ba toi mot phong" (Truong Giang), "Tho oi!" (Tran Thanh), "Mui pho" (Minh Beta) or "Bau vat troi cho" (Heaven-sent Treasure) by director Le Thanh Son. These are mostly projects aimed at family audiences, exploiting humor and emotions, which are the "familiar formula" of Vietnamese Tet movies.
In addition, the market also has films about to be released outside the Tet season such as "Love in Vietnam" - a Vietnam-India international cooperation project expected to be released in early January 2026, or information about new films released in the first quarter of 2026 including: Human Trafficking Camp, Chien Nam, Who Loves Who Loves...
However, the biggest problem is still quality. When Vietnamese films have been released too much in the short period before, audiences enter 2026 with a more cautious mentality. If Tet movies continue to follow the old ways, lacking innovation in scripts and storytelling, the risk of "overdose" can completely be repeated, despite the golden time advantage.
Reality from the end of 2025 shows that audiences do not turn their backs on Vietnamese films, but only turn their backs on superficial films. Revenue differentiation is a clear warning: Good films still have a foothold, weak films are forced to accept failure. In that context, extending release schedules, diversifying genres and seriously investing in content is the only way for Vietnamese cinema to avoid falling into the "many but diluted" vortex.
Vietnamese films released in theaters in droves at the end of 2025 and the first months of 2026 reflect a market that is accelerating strongly, but also full of risks. When quantity is no longer an advantage, quality and difference will determine the fate of each film. If not adjusted in time, today's excitement can easily become tomorrow's superfluous worries.
