Nguyen Khanh Duong, founder of Box Office Vietnam (BOVN), an independent unit specializing in box office statistics, confirmed that the decline in revenues for foreign films, particularly Hollywood productions, is not unique to Vietnam but has also been observed in many other countries worldwide.
In 2025, Vietnam saw an average of 15–20 imported films each month, with Hollywood dominating alongside releases from South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia.
According to BOVN, only five foreign titles surpassed the VND100 billion mark including Avatar: Fire and Ash which is still showing; Zootopia 2 with earning of nearly VND230 billion, still showing; Detective Conan: The Phantom of the Monocular worth VND174 billion; Doraemon: Nobita's Art World Tales worth VND169 billion, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle worth VND139 billion.
These figures pale in comparison to 13 Vietnamese films that crossed the same threshold, eight of which earned more than VND200 billion.
Even major international franchises underperformed at the Vietnamese box office. Death Whisperer 3 earned just over VND80 billion, How to Train Your Dragon (live action) grossed VND67 billion, and Mission: Impossible 8 brought in only VND47 billion. Surprisingly, even Lilo & Stitch, a global blockbuster that surpassed US$1 billion worldwide, earned just VND34 billion in Vietnam.
For the first time, foreign films contributed less than 40 percent of total box office revenue, falling well behind domestic productions.
A representative of a major local distributor explained that repetitive storylines have left audiences bored, with superhero films, which are once dominant, now losing their appeal in Vietnam.
Foreign films today mainly attract family audiences, and this trend is expected to continue for years to come, not only in Vietnam but also in neighboring countries, BOVN founder Nguyen Khanh Duong noted.
Globally, 2025 has been described as a bleak and challenging year for the film industry. Of the top 10 highest-grossing films worldwide, only three have crossed the US$1 billion mark. Lilo & Stitch (over US$1 billion), Zootopia 2 (over US$1.4 billion), and Ne Zha 2 (over US$2.2 billion). Meanwhile, Avatar: Fire and Ash (US$859 million, still showing) and Jurassic World: Rebirth (US$869 million) remain among the top earners but are unlikely to match the success of their predecessors.
Founder Nguyen Khanh Duong emphasized, “Foreign films are losing their appeal, while Vietnamese cinema is gaining ground with diverse and high-quality productions in both content and form. This is a major opportunity for domestic cinema, as local entertainment rooted in familiar culture will always have an advantage and win the favor of audiences.”
