"Ut Lan: The cursed spirit" starring Quoc Truong topped the Vietnamese box office over the weekend, though its earnings did not explode as anticipated.

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Quoc Truong in "Ut Lan"

According to Box Office Vietnam, as of the morning of June 23, the horror film "Ut Lan" grossed 20 billion VND (approximately USD 785,000), including early screenings, weekend shows, and pre-sale tickets, spread across 6,693 showings.

Despite securing the top spot at the box office, the film starring Quoc Truong, famed for "Come Home, My Dear", has yet to achieve breakout commercial success.

The story follows the character Lan (played by Phuong Thanh). After her father's death, she returns to a rural village and becomes a maid in the house of Mr. Danh (Mac Van Khoa), a widower with no children.

From the moment she enters the home, Lan experiences strange phenomena and a series of mysterious deaths. Together with Son (Quoc Truong), a horror novelist, she begins uncovering the house’s terrifying secrets.

Meanwhile, positive word of mouth has helped the live-action adaptation of "How to Train Your Dragon" maintain strong performance in its second week.

It took second place at the box office with an additional 10 billion VND (about USD 392,000) over the weekend, bringing its total to 40 billion VND (USD 1.57 million) after 10 days.

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A scene from "How to Train Your Dragon".

The third spot went to the newly released 18+ horror film "28 Years Later: Post-Apocalypse" by Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire" director Danny Boyle, which earned 7 billion VND (USD 275,000) in its first three days in Vietnam. Korean film "The Elite Five" ranked fourth with 3.5 billion VND (USD 137,000).

The 44th Doraemon animated film rounded out the top five with 3.4 billion VND (USD 133,000). Meanwhile, Pixar's animated feature "Elio: The boy from Earth" saw a solid early preview performance with 2.3 billion VND (USD 90,000) before its official release next weekend. It will premiere alongside the racing blockbuster "F1" starring Brad Pitt.

My Anh