The film set a new box office record after 17 days of release. Red Rain surpassed the record of Mai, an 18+ film directed by Tran Thanh, which was released during Tet 2024. Compared to director Dang Thai Huyen's film, Mai had slower ticket sales, taking 40 days to reach 551 billion VND.

The cast and crew of Red Rain (front row) meet the audience in Ho Chi Minh City on 6/9. Photo: Thanh Huyen

The film continued to earn over 20 billion VND on 7/9, topping Box Office Vietnam's daily revenue update. The number of screenings decreased slightly, from over 5,000 to 4,500 nationwide, due to the release of Ghost Bride, a Vietnamese-Thai horror film.

Nguyen Hoang Hai, content director of CGV Vietnam, said the film accounts for over 11% of the cinema market's ticket sales since the beginning of the year and is expected to soon reach 7 million viewers.

Director Dang Thai Huyen said the film's achievement was a joy beyond her expectations. "More importantly, the audience loves the film, showing that the crew's efforts have been recognized," she said.

Over the past few days, the crew has organized cine-tours in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which were warmly received. On 4/9, the production unit, the People's Army Cinema (General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army), held a screening at the Quang Tri citadel to honor veterans, families of martyrs, and local residents, attracting over 5,000 viewers.

The film has high-quality content and images, evoking strong emotions. The script follows the events of the 81-day battle to defend the citadel. Writer Chu Lai chose to focus on the human element, specifically a platoon with soldiers from three regions of Vietnam.

The film was meticulously invested in from pre-production, with grand settings and many large-scale battle scenes. The producer did not disclose the investment amount, but many estimated the film's budget to be in the hundreds of billions of VND. The crew built a 50-hectare film set on the banks of the Thach Han River. During filming, the crew used modern machinery and lighting systems. For many scenes, the director of photography used up to seven cameras.

The central character is Cuong (played by Do Nhat Hoang), a Conservatory student who is generous and skilled in martial arts. He gave up the opportunity to study abroad to enlist in the army. During the fighting in Quang Tri, Cuong fought alongside his platoon, including Ta, the platoon leader, Binh, Tu, Hai, and Sen. They came from different hometowns, with different backgrounds and personalities, but shared the same goal of fighting for peace.

Over the past two years, revolutionary war films have attracted significant attention from audiences, creating a new wave in the domestic film market. First was Peaches, Pho, and Piano (2024), directed by Phi Tien Son and commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which grossed nearly 21 billion VND and broke even after nearly three months of release. In April, The Tunnel, about soldiers fighting in the "steel land" of Cu Chi, directed by Bui Thac Chuyen, earned 172 billion VND.

Mai Nhat