Film adaptation of literary classic ‘The Tale of Kieu’ bombs at box-office

‘Kieu,’ which reportedly cost VND30 billion to make, is no longer in theaters.

Mai Thu Huyen, its producer, said: "I feel very sad the movie was not received as well as expected. With the current sales, it is certain to make a loss.

"Our original plan was to release the movie online and in international markets. However, overseas screenings were postponed due to Covid-19. Due to poor box office sales, we need to utilize online streaming platforms 24/7 starting from April 27th."

Also directed by Huyen, the movie was meant to mark the 200th anniversary of the death of poet Nguyen Du. His 19^th century epic ‘Truyen Kieu’ (The Tale of Kieu) is a Vietnamese literary classic known for its theme conveying early feminism and other universal human values.

It has been explored extensively by literary critics in Vietnam and overseas and adapted repeatedly for the stage.

In the event, the film inevitably faced high expectations.

It runs for only 90 minutes and focuses on certain aspects like the love triangle between the three main characters, Kieu (played by My Duyen), Thuc Sinh (Le Anh Duy), and Hoan Thu (Cao Thai Ha).

The movie has been criticized for its breakneck speed, unconvincing climax, low-quality movie effects, and prurience.