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2027 Tet film race heats up: Tran Thanh faces formidable competition
Báo VTC News
18/08/2026
16:58
Although the 2027 Lunar New Year is still months away, notable titles are already emerging in the Vietnamese film race.
Trấn Thành trở lại với phim “Em” trong mùa Tết 2027.
Following several consecutive seasons of creating box office hits, Tran Thanh has once again chosen the 2027 Lunar New Year to introduce his new project, titled Em. The film has just commenced principal photography and is scheduled for release on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Unlike the limited information regarding the plot, Tran Thanh revealed that he was initially preparing a different story but decided to put that project on hold after finding a special connection with Em.
Tran Thanh's continued participation in the Tet film season immediately attracted attention, especially since his name has become a major brand at the Vietnamese box office. His previous Tet films, including Dad, I'm Sorry, The House of No Man, Mai, and Bad Boys Go to Heaven, grossed approximately 427 billion, 475 billion, 551 billion, and 332 billion VND, respectively.
By 2026, Tho Oi helped Tran Thanh maintain his momentum. The film left theaters with 449 billion VND, surpassing Dad, I'm Sorry to become one of the director's most successful works.
These figures make Em one of the most anticipated projects ahead of the 2027 Tet film season. However, this comeback for Tran Thanh will not take place in a market with as few competitors as in previous years.
Victor Vũ gia nhập đường đua phim Tết với Thám tử Kiên phần 2.
The first notable competitor for Tran Thanh is director Victor Vu with Detective Kien: The Golden Curse. The second installment of the Detective Kien franchise has just released its first look and confirmed a 2027 Tet release. Notably, the film is expected to hit theaters on the same day as Em, the first day of the Year of the Goat.
In the new installment, Quoc Huy continues to take on the role of Detective Kien. The first look reveals the scene of a massacre on a boat stranded at sea, with bodies scattered and a mysterious atmosphere enveloping the story.
While the first film, Detective Kien: The Headless Mystery, explored a murder case in a mysterious town, the new installment takes the character on a different journey, inspired by the novel Phuc Gia Truyen by author Hong Thai. Victor Vu stated that the team's goal is not simply to make a larger-scale film, but to create a story fresh and compelling enough for audiences to continue following the character.
Detective Kien: The Headless Mystery made a mark at the 2025 box office with a revenue of over 250 billion VND according to Box Office Vietnam, becoming one of the year's top-grossing Vietnamese films.
The fact that the second part is moving to the Tet season and releasing at the same time as Em makes the showdown between Victor Vu and Tran Thanh one of the most anticipated highlights of the early 2027 box office.
Đạo diễn Bùi Thạc Chuyên góp mặt tại mùa phim Tết với “Cận kề cái chết”.
In addition to the two projects with confirmed Tet release dates, Facing Death by director Bui Thac Chuyen is also a work to watch. The film marks the return of the director of The Tunnel: Sun in the Shadows to the war genre.
Set during the resistance war against the US, the film revolves around a special prisoner who was once an agent in a strategic supply line from the North to the South. The character holds the secret to a large sum of money intended for the Revolution and is the only person who knows where it is hidden.
Imprisoned at Phu Quoc Prison, the protagonist must find a way to escape under harsh conditions. Therefore, the work focuses not only on the prison break story but also explores the struggle for survival when humans are pushed to the limits of life and death.
Facing Death is expected to be released during the 2027 Tet season, but it does not yet have a specific release date like Em or Detective Kien: The Golden Curse.
A notable point of the 2027 Tet film season is that the projects are forming quite distinct identities. Tran Thanh's Em keeps much of its plot under wraps, Detective Kien: The Golden Curse continues to explore the detective genre, and Facing Death pursues themes of war and survival.
In particular, the direct clash between Em and Detective Kien: The Golden Curse has been set as both aim for the first day of Tet. This is also a rare occasion where Tran Thanh must compete directly with a film franchise that already has its own established audience from the very first day of release.
Nevertheless, there are still many months left in the Tet film season for projects to be completed, and new titles may continue to join the race.
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