HO CHI MINH CITY: According to independent box office monitoring firm Box Office Vietnam, the film Trai Buon Nguoi (The Journey of Heroes) has grossed more than VND230 billion (over US$8 million) in total revenue as of October 3, making it one of only four Vietnamese films to reach this milestone this year.
Directed by Toni Duong Bao Anh, the 135-minute film revolves around the themes of human trafficking and cross-border scams.
The film follows Ny (played by actor Steven Nguyen) on a journey to rescue his younger sister from human traffickers near the south-western border. To save her, Ny allows himself to be captured and taken to a brutal scam compound. There, alongside undercover officers and other victims, they devise an escape plan.
According to the film's production team, the project took about five years to complete, including three years of script development and two years of filming and post-production. Some major scenes involved more than 700 actors, and more than 10,000 people worked on the production in total.
The film's official Facebook fanpage has extended its thanks to the more than 2.5 million viewers who have watched the film in cinemas, and announced a series of cine-tour events at cinemas across the country.
The film is currently receiving positive feedback from audiences and is forecast to reach the VND300 billion revenue mark soon.
On October 3 alone (as of 5:30pm), the film's daily revenue reached over VND29 billion, with more than 5,500 screenings and over 300,000 tickets sold. — Vietnam News/ANN
