The fact that a Vietnamese film achieved million-dollar revenue in markets such as the US, Canada and Europe in its first week is an impressive figure.
For many years, Vietnamese cinema has mainly depended on the domestic market, where star factors and media effects play a decisive role. With "Thỏ ơi!!", Tran Thanh continues to take full advantage of this advantage, but at the same time expands to a more fierce competitive space - where audiences no longer prioritize the "family person" factor.
The initial success of the film came from many resonant factors. First of all, Tran Thanh's personal brand - a name that has become a "box office guarantee" in recent years. From "Dad" to subsequent projects, he built a loyal audience, not only domestically but also in the Vietnamese community abroad. This overseas Vietnamese force is a "soft lever", helping the film quickly generate revenue in the early days of international release.
In addition, the strategy of widespread release in many countries at the same time also contributes to creating a media effect. Being in the top revenue in North America and Europe just one day after its release shows that the film has made good use of the "time" factor - when curiosity and viral effects are still at their peak.
However, if you look deeper, the journey of "Thỏ ơi!!" also clearly reflects the harsh laws of the international market. After an impressive initial period, the film quickly showed signs of stagnation and declined in the rankings. Having to compete directly with Hollywood blockbusters or domestic films of major film industries makes "Thỏ ơi!!" lose its breath.
This raises the question of "durability" - a more important factor than the initial explosion. A film can win big in the first week thanks to community effects, but to stay long, the content must be strong enough to reach local audiences. With "Thỏ ơi!!", Tran Thanh's personal psychological - emotional material is a double-edged sword: easy to create empathy with Vietnamese people, but not necessarily universal enough to conquer the majority of international audiences.
From a production perspective, Tran Thanh's investment of nearly 2 million USD in the project also shows his ambition to raise the standard of Vietnamese films. However, as he himself shared, most of the cost lies in "invisible" factors such as art, setting, post-production - things that are not always easily recognized by the audience. This is a familiar problem of cinema: high production value does not mean corresponding emotional effectiveness.
However, the positive meaning that "Thỏ ơi!!" brings cannot be denied. The fact that a Vietnamese film can be widely released in theaters in many countries, achieve significant revenue and appear on the global charts is already a big step forward.
With Tran Thanh, he has his own calculations when this success continues to affirm his consistent direction: putting emotions at the center, combined with a strong communication strategy to create a box office effect. And above all, Tran Thanh himself also understands that international box office revenue is mainly just a communication strategy, that is not the main amount of money he desires. Because in essence, the best market for his films is still domestic.
However, if they want to go further on the international map, Vietnamese films like Tran Thanh's will need more universal stories, along with simpler and easier-to-reach global audiences narration.
Rabbit ơi!!" is therefore not only a commercial success, but also a test. It shows that Vietnamese films can completely "go to the big sea", but how far they swim is still a story of internal strength - something that cannot be replaced by any distribution strategy.
