The popularity of the historical film "Đào, Phở and Piano" shows no signs of cooling down, even as the National Cinema Center in Hanoi continues to increase screenings in its largest hall to over 400 seats. The demand from audiences wanting to see the film remains very high despite the cinema increasing screenings from 3 to 18 per day since "Đào, Phở and Piano" first hit theaters. However, the additional capacity still cannot meet the desire of audiences to watch "Đào, Phở and Piano".

Two other cinemas operated by Beta Cinema in Hanoi have also taken on screenings of "Đào, Phở and Piano" but that number remains insufficient for the volume of viewers wanting to experience this film. The National Cinema Center remains the hottest spot for cinemas in recent days as one of the few venues currently showing "Đào, Phở and Piano". As the online ticket booking system has yet to be fully operational, audiences can only queue directly at the box office to purchase tickets if they want to see "Đào, Phở and Piano".

The ticket sales point at the National Cinema Center remains constantly overwhelmed. Ma Thuy, Head of Screening at the National Cinema Center, told VietNamNet that on February 21st alone, "Đào, Phở and Piano" sold 8,129 tickets, while "Mai" only achieved 2,549 tickets. This clearly demonstrates the heat surrounding the historical film which has been widely discussed on social media.

Ms. Thuy said the cinema is fully capable of increasing screenings of "Đào, Phở and Piano" if it was shown in smaller halls. However, to best meet audience demand, the largest screening room has been dedicated solely to this film. Therefore, while daily screenings may not increase drastically, ticket sales remain very high. Many sessions today, February 22nd, have already sold out.

Ms. Thuy said additional screenings will be opened to give audiences the chance to see the film. On February 23rd, the center will have 23 screenings for "Đào, Phở and Piano" and has already scheduled 20 screenings for the film over the weekend. Currently, one cinema group has committed to screening "Đào, Phở and Piano" non-profit for at least 4 weeks, but the National Cinema Center does not yet have a clear plan on how long they will screen the film given the sustained large audiences.

Audiences surrounded the male lead actor Doan Quoc Dam after a screening in the afternoon of February 21st when he unexpectedly appeared at the cinema hall showing "Đào, Phở and Piano".

Even though Hanoi now has additional screens carrying "Đào, Phở and Piano" at the two Beta Cinema venues, that amount remains inadequate for the number of viewers wanting to see the film. The National Cinema Center persists as the hottest spot among cinema chains in recent days due to being one of the rare places currently screening "Đào, Phở and Piano". As the online ticketing system has yet to operate properly, audiences' only option to watch "Đào, Phở and Piano" is to queue directly at the box office.

The success of "Đào, Phở and Piano" comes as a rare phenomenon in the local film industry. According to Mr. Kiền Thành Vi, Director of the Cinema Department, a distributor has accepted distributing "Đào, Phở and Piano" without requiring a share of the profits, reflecting both the film's commercial potential and sociocultural significance. This distribution deal offers hope that more independent, arthouse films can reach wider audiences in Vietnam.

Only time will tell if "Đào, Phở and Piano" has true legs to remain one of the highest-grossing films in Vietnamese cinema. For now, the passion of audiences struggling daily to secure tickets suggests this thoughtful period drama may yet achieve even greater box office success. The unprecedented buzz around "Đào, Phở and Piano" underlines how local films, when made with care and creativity, can attract Vietnamese moviegoers in huge numbers.