Sonia Kil
SEOUL — “Let Hoi Decide,” a romantic comedy co-produced by companies from South Korea and Vietnam, has become the highest grossing film in Vietnam.
The film was released on Dec. 12 in some 70 theaters and scored a record-breaking $268,000 opening day. By Dec. 30 it had accumulated $3.85 million, to overtake previous biggest film “Little Teo” (“Teo Em”).
Directed by popular film maker Charlie Nguyen and starring Tai Hoa, “Let Hoi Decide” (aka “De Mai Tinh 2”) is a sequel to 2010 hit “Fool For Love” (aka “De Mai Tinh”). It features a man who loses his fortune every time he falls in love with anyone. It was co-produced by backed by South Korea’s CJ Entertainment & Media and Vietnam’s Chanh Phuong Films.
CJ has made a big push into Vietnam, where it bought the Megastar cinema chain in 2011, to make itself the leading exhibitor in the country. It has since established itself as a major film importer and distributor. The company says that it plans to produce two to three local films every year and to distribute at least ten films.
Next up is “Three Girls,” a comedy adventure romance, also co-produced with Chanh Phuong, which is expected to release in time for next month’s lunar new year holidays.
Previously, CJ E&M partnered with Vietnam Television (VTV) and co-produced “Forever Young,” the first Korea-Vietnam co-produced TV drama. Its premiere on Dec. 17 earned ratings of 4.41%, placing it first among local prime time TV shows. CJ also struck a home shopping alliance with Vietnam’s top cable TV operator SCTV.
“As the entertainment industry in Vietnam has grown rapidly, we will continue to closely work with local partners to boost cultural ties between Korean and Vietnam through creative entertainment content,” said Mike Suh, head of global business at CJ E&M.
