Avatar, Bay Rong set box-office on fire

HCM CITY — James Cameron’s Avatar has probably become the first film to gross US$1 million in the country.

Megastar Media Company, the distributor in Viet Nam, announced that film topped the mark from combined 2D and 3D ticket sales last Friday.

The film, released on December 18, continues to run to a full house.

In Viet Nam there are no reliable figures for box-office collections, but no other film is thought to have reached the million-dollar mark yet.

To celebrate the event, an event titled Megastar-Trieu Loi Cam On (Megastar-Millions of Thanks) will be held on January 28 when all films except the 3D version of Avatar will be screened for free at Megastar cinemas around the country.

2012, directed by Roland Emerich, is thought to hold the earlier collection record. Though revenue figures are not available, more than 120,000 tickets were sold for the film in just the first week after its release by Galaxy Cinema on November 20.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese action movie Bay Rong (Clash), directed by Le Thanh Son, grossed more than VND11.5 billion ($605,300) by last Friday, also probably a record.

The film is about criminal gangs who try to take control of VINASAT-1, Viet Nam’s communications satellite, and stars overseas Vietnamese star Jonny Tri Nguyen and actress-singer Ngo Thanh Van. It was produced by Chanh Phuong Film Company at a cost of around $800,000.

It was also released on December 18. — VNS