Streamlined Guides: Vietnam - Distributors, Exhibitors, Festivals & Streamers

Driven by investment in the exhibition sector, Vietnam’s box office has grown from $15m and less than 100 screens in 2010 to around $150m and 1,100 screens last year. In addition to films produced by a thriving local production sector, the market screens Hollywood and other international titles with no quotas and other import restrictions, although all films must pass censorship before release. While broadcasting remains state-owned, multiple private and state-owned companies are competing in the streaming sector.

This second part of the first edition of Streamlined Guides gives a concise overview of current market conditions, along with highlighting the major players in different segments of the industry, focusing on distributors, exhibitors, festivals and streamers. Streamlined Guides are totally funded by readers so the information in the report has been researched independently of any financial support from advertisers and/or film agencies. Contact details are not included in the report, but paid subscribers can DM me to discuss the best way to approach listed companies, with Founding Member subscribers receiving priority on their queries.

Mai

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OVERVIEW:

When the Vietnamese market started to open in 2000, Hollywood films were distributed by a joint venture between US partners and state-owned Vietnam National Film Distribution and Screening Company (FAFIM), but this work is now done by privately-owned studios. CJ CGV handles films from Warner Bros, Paramount and Universal, while Galaxy Studio handles Sony and Disney. Censorship has become more lenient towards sex, violence and LGBTQ+ content in recent years, but films including Warner Bros’ Barbie, Sony’s Unchartered and DreamWorks’ Abominable have been banned due to scenes allegedly depicting the nine-dash line, representing China’s disputed claims in the South China Sea.

Early pioneers in the exhibition space included MegaStar Media, a joint venture between Envoy Media Partners and Phuong Nam Corporation, which opened its first multiplex in Hanoi in 2006 and was bought out by Korea’s CJ CGV in 2011. Korea’s Lotte Cinema is another major player buying out local exhibitor Diamond Cinema in 2008. CJ CGV and Lotte Cinema together account for about 70% of the market (see below for further details of local and Korean exhibitors..)