Vietnamese thriller drama Thỏ Ơi!! (Bunnie!!) dominated the box office during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday from January 17-22. — Photo courtesy of Trấn Thành Town

HCM CITY — Vietnamese thriller drama Thỏ Ơi!! (Bunnie!!) dominated the box office during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday from January 17-22.

Producer and director Trấn Thành’s movie for audiences aged 18 and above earned more than VNĐ231 billion (US$8.86 million) after six days of release in theatres from February 17, or the Lunar New Year’s first day, according to Box Office Vietnam – an independent box office monitoring firm.

The film revolves around complicated relationships among its characters. It is set up at a talk show in which participants hide behind masks while unveiling their secrets to the public.

The work features new faces in the industry, including rapper Pháo and singers Lyly and Văn Mai Hương, together with actors Thành, Quốc Anh and Vĩnh Đam.

Thành, who is known for several high-grossing movies in Việt Nam, produced 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 Vietnamese films, earning VNĐ427 billion ($16.5 million).

His directorial debut, Nhà Bà Nữ (The House of No Man) in 2023, broke his own record by earning VNĐ475 billion ($18.3 million). Another work, Mai, released in 2024, raked in VNĐ520 billion ($20.1 million) after 41 days in theatres, becoming the second highest-grossing Vietnamese film of all time.

Nhà Ba Tôi Một Phòng (A Room Called Home), the directorial debut movie on fatherhood by comic actor Trường Giang, has grossed VNĐ76 billion ($2.92 million) since hitting nationwide theatres on January 17.

The film is set in an old one-room apartment, depicting a relationship between a traditional father and his free-spirited Gen Z daughter.

Giang played the leading role of the father in the movie, while young actress Đoàn Minh Anh performed the role of the daughter.

He invited a lineup of Vietnamese celebrities to join the movie, such as Anh Tú Atus, Lê Khánh, Tiến Luật, and Kiều Minh Tuấn, to bring audiences joyful and emotional moments during the holiday.

Nhà Ba Tôi Một Phòng (A Room Called Home), the directorial debut movie on fatherhood by comic actor Trường Giang, earned VNĐ76 billion ($2.92 million) during the Tết holiday. — Photo courtesy of CJ HK Entertainment

Comedy drama Báu Vật Trời Cho (A Gift from Heaven), released on January 17, earned more than VNĐ47 billion ($1.8 million).

Directed by Lê Thanh Sơn, the film portrays a single mother who gave birth through IVF using donated sperm. She moves to a coastal fishing village with her son, and they accidentally cross paths with the man unknowingly tied to the son’s existence.

It caught the audience’s attention with the second collaboration of actress Phương Anh Đào and actor Tuấn Trần, who were featured in the blockbuster Mai by filmmaker Trấn Thành.

Mai won awards for best motion picture, best actress, best script editor and best production designer at the Golden Kite Awards presented by the Việt Nam Cinema Association in Khánh Hòa Province in 2024.

Another family movie, Mùi Phở (The Scent of Phở), the directorial debut work of film producer Minh Beta, earned more than VNĐ27 billion ($1.03 million) in six days after its release on January 17.

The film features conflict among generations in a traditional family that makes phở. Leaving behind differences between traditional values and modern lifestyle, the family members find the meaning and warmth of family.

The work stars experienced actors Xuân Hinh, Thu Trang, Thanh Thanh Hiền and Quốc Tuấn. — VNS