Director Tran Thanh and wife attend US premiere of Vietnam's box office sensation 'Mai'

The film premiered at nearly 200 theaters in nine countries and territories, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, Czech, and Slovakia on Friday. The event also marks the first time a Vietnamese movie has premiered simultaneously on both North America and Europe.

Director Tran Thanh and his wife, singer Hari Won, at the U.S. premiere of "Mai" movie on March 21, 2024. Photo by Thanh Hanh

During the event, Tran Thanh and the film cast reunited with several overseas Vietnamese artists, including actress Hong Dao, singer Khanh Ha, and singer To Chan Phong.

Hong Dao, who portrays the character Dao, a significant supporting role in the film, attended a premiere.

Health constraints had previously prevented her from participating in the domestic Lunar New Year Festival (Tet) premiere in Vietnam.

The 62-year-old actress expressed immense joy at the warm reception her character received, with many of Dao’s memorable lines resonating widely on social networks.

Director Tran Thanh and actress Hong Dao at the U.S. premiere of "Mai" movie on March 21, 2024. Photo by Thanh Hanh

By March 22, after a 41-day run, "Mai" had grossed VND520 billion ($20.98 million) in revenue with 6.5 million tickets sold, making it the highest-grossing Vietnamese movie to date.

Tran Thanh holds the distinction of directing the three best-selling hits in Vietnam. "Nha Ba Nu" (The House of No Man) collected VND475 billion, and the third, "Bo Gia" (Dad, I'm Sorry), grossed VND417 billion.

"Despite immense joy, I also feel the weight of such success and the heightened expectations from the audience," said Thanh. "I hope the public will recognize me as a reputable director, and continue to look forward to my future work."

Following screenings in North America and Europe, he now plans to introduce "Mai" to Taiwanese audiences.

In addition, the director is currently working on a comedy for the 2025 Tet season, a departure from the dramatic tone of "Mai".

"Mai" centers around the life of the eponymous female lead played by Phuong Anh Dao, a nearly 40-year-old masseuse who has a chance encounter with Duong (Thanh) and is pursued by him. She struggles to accept the feelings of a man seven years her junior due to her low self-esteem.

Tran Thanh paced the film slowly and moderated the intensity of the quarrels between his characters. Dao is given a lot of acting space, including moments where she grapples with single motherhood and feels helpless while soothing her crying child.

In recent times, many Vietnamese film producers have set their sights on international audiences.

In March 2019, Ngo Thanh Van’s action-packed film "Hai Phuong" (Furie) premiered in the US after a successful domestic run, collecting over VND200 billion of revenue.

Ly Hai’s horror comedy - "Lat Mat 4: Nha Co Khach" (Face Off: The Walking Guests) made its way to theaters in the U.S. and Australia in mid-2019. It had previously secured a spot among the top four best-selling films in the Vietnamese box office, grossing VND120 billion.

In 2021, Tran Thanh’s "Bo Gia" achieved a remarkable feat by consistently ranking among the top 10 most popular movies each week in the US. It also became the first Vietnamese film to reach the $1 million revenue milestone in this market, as reported by Box Office Mojo.