Despite the debut of two new films, the Vietnamese box office struggled to shine last weekend as theaters faced a slow period before the highly anticipated Tet 2025 movie season.

While Tet films are gearing up for their release during the most vibrant movie season of the year, the current box office landscape remains dismal.

Older films are losing their momentum, and newly released titles fail to make a splash due to their lack of blockbuster appeal.

According to Box Office Vietnam, 404: Chay ngay di (404: Run Now) maintained its top position at the box office but earned less than 4 billion VND (approximately 163,000 USD), even though it was screened in nearly 3,000 theaters nationwide. The film, featuring Tran Thanh’s younger sister, has grossed a total of 95 billion VND (about 3.88 million USD) so far.

The Vietnamese drama Chi dau (Sister-in-Law), starring Hong Dao, Viet Huong, and Ngoc Trinh, dropped to third place over the weekend due to a sharp decline in revenue.

It earned under 2 billion VND (around 82,000 USD), bringing its total box office earnings to 107 billion VND (roughly 4.36 million USD).

The runner-up spot last weekend was claimed by the horror film Hon ma xac me (Mother's Ghostly Corpse), which premiered on January 17 and garnered 3.6 billion VND (approximately 147,000 USD).

Drawing from Java’s cultural tradition of “perewangan” — supernatural entities coexisting symbiotically with humans - the film incorporates these spiritual beliefs into a chilling narrative. In particular, it explores how such entities, known as "penglaris," are believed to enhance business success, such as in restaurants.

This unique cultural aspect, coupled with oral traditions and Indonesia's rich spiritual heritage, creates a deeply unsettling cinematic experience.

Meanwhile, Studio Ghibli’s The Cat Returns (Loài mèo trả ơn), the final installment in a series of four films, also opened last weekend but only managed to earn 1.4 billion VND (around 57,000 USD), despite a high frequency of showings.

The film, a spin-off of Whisper of the Heart, follows Yoshioka Haru, an ordinary high school girl whose life takes an extraordinary turn when she saves a cat from being hit by a car.

The cat turns out to be Lune, the prince of the Cat Kingdom. As gratitude, the Cat King invites Haru to their kingdom, setting the stage for an enchanting adventure.

This weekend, the box office is expected to see little change before the official start of the Tet 2025 movie season.

A wave of Vietnamese films, including Bo tu bao thu (The Avengers Quartet), Yeu nham ban than (Accidentally in Love with My Best Friend), and Nu hon bac ty (The Billion-Dollar Kiss), are set to hit theaters soon, bringing renewed excitement to the big screens.

My Anh