According to Box Office Vietnam data recorded on January 16, the movie "Con ke ba nghe" unexpectedly rose to the top of the box office during the day when it achieved revenue of more than 1.59 billion VND, with nearly 19,500 tickets sold, far exceeding "Paradise of Blood" (334 million VND). Meanwhile, "Avatar 3: Fire and Ash" still maintains a dominant position in terms of total revenue and number of screenings, showing a clear differentiation between Vietnamese films and international blockbusters in the early period of the year.
Why did "Con ke ba nghe" reach the top of the box office?
The most important factor helping "Con ke ba nghe" (Con tells dad) rise up lies in emotional positioning at the right time. Instead of pursuing sensational, dramatic and experimental colors like "Thien duong mau" (Heaven of Blood), the film chooses a family psychological story, revolving around the father-son relationship and healing journey. This is a close topic, easy to create empathy with Vietnamese audiences, especially in the context of the beginning of the year when the demand for watching emotional, reunion films increases significantly.
In addition, the positive word-of-mouth effect plays a key role. The climax between father and son performed by Kieu Minh Tuan and Hao Khang is considered "expensive" by many viewers, creating a strong wave of sharing on social networks after early screenings. These positive feedbacks directly boosted ticket sales in the following days, helping the film grow stably and rise to the top of daily revenue.
Another factor contributing to creating an advantage for "Con ke ba nghe" is that the circus setting is exploited throughout the work. The film's release on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Vietnam Circus Federation is not only symbolic but also creates cultural depth, helping the film to be different from other Vietnamese works released at the same time.
In addition, blockbusters such as "Avatar 3: Fire and Ash", "Heaven of Blood" after a period of screening have cooled down, no longer retaining their appeal. Currently, "Con ke ba nghe" almost has no strong opponents outside the theater.
Why is it still difficult to surpass "Avatar 3" in terms of total revenue?
Despite reaching the top of the box office today and currently achieving revenue of about 12 billion VND, "Con ke ba nghe" is almost unable to compete directly with "Avatar 3: Fire and Ash" - a work that has surpassed the 270 billion VND mark. The "Avatar" brand has a global fan base, backed by superior image technology, large-scale promotion strategy and a system of cinemas prioritizing screenings.
However, the fact that "Con ke ba nghe" rose to lead the day's revenue shows that Vietnamese films still have the opportunity to break through the box office if they touch the audience's emotions.
In the context of a still quiet market at the beginning of the year, this achievement is considered a noteworthy highlight, affirming the appeal of close family stories and convincing acting.
However, the downside of the film lies in the slow pace of storytelling in some early scenes, which may make young audiences familiar with the fast tempo feel lacking climax. A few sub-character lines have not been deeply explored, making the overall story sometimes not reach absolute completeness. In addition, the story of the depressed son's journey has not been spoken clearly, the film's ending is vague...
