HÀ NỘI – Vietnamese drama and romance movie Mai has become the highest grossing Vietnamese film of all time after generating a staggering $US 20.9 million (VNĐ520 billion) at the local box office.

Vietnamese drama and romance movie “Mai” has become the highest grossing Vietnamese film of all time. Photo courtesy of Trấn Thành Town, CJ ENM and HKFilm

Its director Trấn Thành and film distributor CJ HK Entertainment recently announced that the movie sold 6.5 million tickets after 41 days in theatre.

Mai has been released in international markets, including the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Mai tells the story of a massage therapist named Mai, who faces misfortunes in life. After moving into an old apartment, she meets Dương, a rich young man who wants to experience a normal life. Both quickly fall in love.

The work features Phuong Anh Đào, Tuấn Trần, Uyển Ân, and veteran actors People’s Artists Việt Anh and Ngọc Giàu.

It was released in Vietnam on February 10, the first day of the Year of the Dragon.

Thành is known for producing many high-grossing movies in Vietnam.

He rose to fame as a producer with his debut movie and smash hit Bố Già (Dad, I’m Sorry) in 2021, directed by Vũ Ngọc Đãng, which broke box-office records for a Vietnamese film by earning $16.1 million.

The film was also sold to Malaysia, Singapore, the US, and Australia.

It won the Silver Lotus Award for Best Feature Film and for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenplay at the annual Vietnam Film Festival.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism chose the film as the Vietnamese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Category at the 2022 Oscar Awards.

Following the success of Bố Già, Thành released his directorial debut Nhà Bà Nữ (The House of No Man) in 2023.

The film broke his own record by earning $19.2 million, selling 5.8 million tickets.

It was screened in the US, Singapore, Canada and New Zealand. – VNA/VNS