Aeon enters Vietnam’s booming cinema market
VOV.VN - The first Aeon Beta Cinema complex, part of a joint venture between Aeon Entertainment (Japan) and Beta Media (Vietnam), opened in Hanoi on December 7, marking Aeon’s entry into the country’s expanding cinema market.
The launch is an initial step of the joint venture announced last August, which plans to develop 50 Aeon Beta cinema complexes across Vietnam by 2035.
In recent years, Vietnam’s cinema market has grown rapidly, with more than 200 cinema complexes nationwide. Each complex averages 5–6 auditoriums, equivalent to around 1,200 screening rooms.
However, the majority of market share is dominated by two Korean giants - CGV (accounting for about 45%) and Lotte Cinema (26%). The rest belongs to domestic chains such as Galaxy Cinema (10%), Beta Cinemas (8%), BHD Star Cineplex (about 5.5%), along with other systems like CineStar, DCINE, Mega GS, and State-run cinemas.
Major international companies like Aeon have studied the market carefully and recognize its potential, Dang Tran Cuong, Director of Vietnam’s Cinema Department told Tuoi Tre News.
Aeon’s entry would not fragment the market, but instead expand the opportunities for growth, as no existing operator has fully tapped the sector’s potential, added the official.
The director believed that Vietnamese cinema companies are well-positioned to compete transparently and effectively in an environment with international players, and Aeon’s presence is unlikely to pose a threat to local operators.
Nabuyuki Fujiwara, chairman of Aeon Entertainment, said that Vietnam, with a market of more than 100 million consumers and a young demographic structure, offers strong potential for the entertainment industry. He stressed that the country’s high and stable GDP growth made it an attractive market, which is why Aeon Entertainment decided to enter Vietnam.
Aeon Entertainment has partnered with local company Beta Group to assist with marketing and promotion. Its strategy includes leveraging Japanese content and intellectual property, such as anime, alongside cinema operations and future film distribution.
Fujiwara noted the improving quality of Vietnamese films and suggested that, in the long term, Aeon plans to bring Vietnamese films to Japanese audiences.
Vietnam considered one of Asia’s fastest growing cinema markets
Deadline.com, a US premier news source covering the business of entertainment, has described Vietnam as one of Asia’s fastest-growing cinema markets in its recent article.
