Following the Success of Korean-Vietnamese Film Productions, CGV Vietnam Experienced a Continuous Attendance Rise
Established in 1998, Korea’s food and entertainment conglomerate
CJ Group sees the results of its aggressive marketing in Vietnam. The giant is expanding its business to biotechnology, logistics, cinema and theater industries, after achieving a remarkable growth in food manufacturing with the
CJ CheilJedang branch, the bakery brand TOUS LES JOURS and the
CJ Home shopping platform.
Last year, the company's annual gross sales exceeded USD 940 million in Vietnam. Earlier this year, the conglomerate heralded aggressive investments as it formed three more corporations abroad, including
CJ Hong Kong Entertainment,
CJ OliveNetworks Vietnam
and CJ E&C Vietnam.
It has been similar to
CJ’s film business. In July 2011,
CJ CGV extended its business to Vietnam by taking over the local’s largest cinema chain, Megastar, and in 2014, began expanding its presence in the market by changing the brand name to
CGV. The theater chain in Vietnam has seen an increase in audience, from 4 million in the first year of launching to 16.79 million in 2017.
According to
CJ CGV, the theaters have attracted a total of 45 million moviegoers so far. Vietnam’s population is estimated at 96 million (July 2017 est. CIA), ranking it the world’s 15th most populous country. Thus, nearly half of Vietnamese nationals have visited
CJ CGV theaters. In addition,
Go Go Sisters, the Vietnamese version of Korean hit movie
Sunny (2011), was produced by
CJ HK Entertainment, a joint venture between
CJ E&M and Vietnamese production company HK Film. In March, this co-produced remake topped the Vietnamese box office in its first week of release
Vietnam is a key country for
CJ’s global business. “We plan on creating a bridge for ‘mutual development of cultural industries’ between Korea and Vietnam, rather than just spreading Korean culture.” an official of
CJ Group said. “We will also raise our profile through continuous enlargement of investment and employment in Vietnam, based on the experience and the business know-how in Korea.”