[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] CJ ENM is expanding its presence in the Vietnamese film market, evolving from a mere investor and distributor to a key production partner driving local box office success. With films featuring CJ ENM’s participation consistently ranking among the top at the Vietnamese box office this year, observers say the company’s localization strategy—pursued for over a decade—is now bearing significant fruit.

According to CJ ENM on the 8th, films in which its Vietnamese subsidiary, CJ HK Entertainment, participated in planning, investment, production, distribution, and marketing have achieved consistent success at the box office in both the first and second halves of this year. “Pipong: Blood Demon,” released in April, ranked second on the annual box office chart; “Zero Mitz Hero,” currently in theaters, ranked third; and “Masso: Forbidden Ritual,” released in June, ranked fourth. This means that three of the top five films at the 2026 Vietnamese box office are linked to CJ ENM.
“Zero Mitsu Hero” is at the center of this box office success in the second half of the year. Released on the 21st of last month, the film surpassed 2.22 million cumulative viewers and $6.52 million (approximately 8.7 billion won) in revenue in just 17 days, maintaining the top spot at the box office for three consecutive weeks. Its success is attributed to the way it tackles the serious subject of a veteran’s post-traumatic stress disorder by blending comedy, supernatural elements, and suspense, transforming a heavy theme into a mainstream genre film.
CJ ENM has expanded its collaboration with local creators from a one-off project into a long-term production partnership by teaming up again with director Hoon Lep, who achieved box office success last year with *Ancestral Home*. This is significant because the company is building a repeatable formula for box office success centered on local directors and subject matter, rather than relying on specific genres or stars.
“Good Boy Gone Best,” which opened on the 28th of last month, is also contributing to this success. Within 10 days of its release, it attracted 560,000 viewers and generated $1.72 million (approximately 2.3 billion won) in revenue, climbing to second place at the box office. By presenting the themes of family and education—which are familiar to Vietnamese audiences—as a coming-of-age comedy, it has established itself, alongside *Zero Mitsu Hero*, as one of the two pillars driving the box office in the second half of the year.
The first half of the year saw notable achievements in the horror genre. *Pipong: Blood Demon* ultimately drew 2.42 million viewers and grossed $7.17 million (approximately 9.6 billion won), becoming the highest-grossing Vietnamese horror film of all time. “Masso: Forbidden Ritual” also drew 1.83 million viewers and grossed $5.13 million (approximately 6.8 billion won), securing third place all-time in the same category.
“Masso: Forbidden Ritual” holds particular significance as it was produced primarily by a first-time director and a cast of up-and-coming actors. Rather than relying on established box-office stars, the film discovered new creators and achieved commercial success, demonstrating that CJ ENM is expanding its foundation for nurturing local talent and developing content.
This trend is also evident in the company’s performance over the past few years. In 2023, “The House of No Man” became the highest-grossing film in Vietnamese history at the time, and the following year, “Mai” surpassed that record. In 2025, “Ancestral Home” entered the top seven highest-grossing films of all time. This year, the company has broadened its range of successful genres—expanding beyond horror to include human dramas and family comedies—thereby expanding the scope of its achievements.
The reason CJ ENM’s Vietnam operations are drawing attention is that they differ significantly from the typical approach of simply exporting Korean content to the local market. After entering the local market in 2011 with the distribution of *Quick*, the company began actively participating in the planning and production of local films starting in 2014. Since then, it has shifted its business model toward directly developing works that reflect the tastes and sensibilities of local audiences.
Ultimately, the significance of these recent box office successes lies in the fact that a “structure for jointly nurturing content created in Vietnam” is yielding results, rather than merely “the entry of Korean content into Vietnam.” The approach of developing local stories in collaboration with local creators and participating in the entire process—from production to marketing—is leading to consistent box office success.
CJ ENM is now preparing to expand intellectual property (IP) that has succeeded in Vietnam into other markets, such as Korea and the United States. Whereas the focus in the past was on remaking Korean IP overseas, the company now plans to pursue “reverse expansion”—reinterpreting local IP that has already proven its box office potential in Vietnam in other countries.
Kim Hyun-woo, Head of CJ HK Entertainment, stated, “Our consistent efforts to discover stories that resonate with local audiences, based on the localization experience we’ve accumulated in Vietnam, are yielding results.” He added, “Moving forward, we plan to expand IPs that have succeeded locally into other markets, such as South Korea and the U.S., and continue to create original IPs with global competitiveness by collaborating with creators across Asia.”