Director Tran Thanh's new film "Mai" has achieved unprecedented box office success in Vietnam, earning an estimated VND 300 billion (USD 12.8 million) after only 8 days of release. This smashes all existing box office records for speed and revenue, rewriting the history books as the highest grossing Vietnamese film of all time by a large margin.

"Mai" tells the story of Mai, a busy mother and wife struggling to balance family responsibilities with her own career ambitions. Directed by popular comedian and actor Tran Thanh, the film explores universal themes around modern women and work-life balance through a lighthearted romantic comedy lens. Featuring a stellar cast including established stars and newcomers, the film was well reviewed upon release for its heartwarming characters and humor.

Box office tracking figures from Vietnam Box Office, an independent analytics firm, show "Mai" reaching the VND 100 billion milestone after just 3 days in cinemas. Only 5 days later on February 15th, ticket sales had already doubled to surpass VND 200 billion. This broke the previous speed record held by 2015's "The House of Mrs. Nguyen", which took 11 days to hit the VND 300 billion mark.

By the end of its first weekend on February 17th, "Mai" had earned a staggering VND 300 billion from over 2.2 million ticket sales in its first 6 days - making it by far the highest grossing opening week in Vietnamese cinema history. The film maintained dominance at cinemas nationwide with over 10 times more screens and ticket sales than the second most popular title.

The film's theme song "Sau loi tu khoac" ("After Rejecting Your Request") performed by Phan Manh Quynh also achieved viral success, reaching #23 on YouTube Vietnam's trending music chart upon release.

Tran Thanh's "Mai" is expected to continue expanding its box office lead and smash further records over the Lunar New Year holiday period, as excitement and word of mouth remains high. Industry analysts predict the rom-com blockbuster will likely end its run as Vietnam's first ever VND 500 billion++ grosser. This cements Tran Thanh as the most commercially successful director in Vietnamese cinema today, following on from his previous hits.

The phenomenal success of "Mai" underscores the Vietnamese audience's growing appetite for high quality local productions that can compete on an international level. It has sparked nationwide pride and broken long-standing taboos, proving that Vietnamese stories and talents have global appeal when given a big stage. The film's historic achievements will inspire a new generation of filmmakers and help accelerate the development of Vietnam's creative economy.