As of the afternoon of May 2nd, the movie "Hero" starring Thai Hoa reached more than 31 billion VND. The movie "Blood Moon Party 8" starring Tran Thanh as a guest, Van Son as the main actor only stopped at about 26 billion VND.
This reality shows that the star factor is no longer a solid guarantee for revenue, especially with the goal of reaching the 100 billion VND mark. Because before that, the movie project "Film Costs" had exceeded the revenue mark by more than 100 billion VND, and the movie "Heo Nam Mong" also exceeded 70 billion VND. While these 2 projects do not have overly famous stars like the movies "Heroes" or "Blood Moon Party 8".
One of the main reasons lies in the storytelling style. "Blood Moon Party 8" chooses the "movie in the movie" structure, with a lengthy opening, deliberately creating a confusing and difficult-to-reach feeling to serve the "overturning" behind.
However, in the context that audiences are used to the fast pace of movies, this deployment method becomes a barrier. Many viewers are impatient to wait for the climax, leading to abandoning the experience.
In the opposite direction, the movie "Hero" follows the traditional storytelling direction, focusing on family emotional elements. Although easier to access, the film lacks major unexpected details and has a slow pace at the beginning. This makes it difficult for the work to create a strong spreading effect - an important factor to break through revenue in a short time.
Besides content, box office competition is also a significant factor. This year's holiday recorded many Vietnamese films being released in theaters, especially horror works such as "Phí phông: Quỷ máu rừng thiêng" or "Heo năm móng". This is a genre that is being favored by young audiences thanks to its sensational elements, easy to create word-of-mouth effects. When attention is focused on this film genre, psychological or experimental works find it difficult to maintain their advantage.
In addition, the issue of screenings also directly affects revenue. Films with good ticket sales or strong media effects are often prioritized for prime time slots. Conversely, films with initial negative feedback are easily reduced in screenings, leading to difficult revenue growth.
Another factor is the gap between expectations and experiences. With a prominent cast, audiences often expect an entertainment film that is easy to watch and rich in climax. However, when the actual content is experimental or profound, this "dismatch" easily makes viewers disappointed.
Finally, the role of stars also needs to be reconsidered. The appearance of Tran Thanh or Thai Hoa helps the film attract initial attention, but cannot replace the script and storytelling. Especially with guest roles, the limited duration makes the overall impact insignificant.
From the above factors, it can be seen that reaching the 100 billion VND mark does not only depend on the actor's reputation. In the context of a highly competitive market, a film needs to balance between attractive content, appropriate rhythm and the ability to reach the masses to retain audiences for a long time.
