Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Soccer opens with $76 million China debut

Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Soccer had reached 515 million yuan, or about $75.99 million, by 10:00 a.m. Monday after opening in mainland China on July 10. The launch gave Chow his first theatrical release in seven years and immediately pushed the film into the center of China’s summer box-office race.

The first-day haul topped 100 million yuan, according to CGTN citing Maoyan, and the film was taking up more than 40 percent of all mainland China screenings on opening day. That scale of release put the comedy-soccer follow-up to Shaolin Soccer in a rare position for a domestic title, with exhibitors giving it the kind of room usually reserved for the most heavily anticipated crowd-pleasers.

The result points to more than a single star-driven opening. It suggests that Chinese audiences still respond to local event films that mix familiarity, broad spectacle and a well-known comic voice, especially when the property carries the weight of nostalgia. Film Stories noted that Kung Fu Soccer was being treated as a sequel to Chow’s breakout hit Shaolin Soccer more than 20 years after the original first reached theaters, and the early turnout shows how much that memory still matters.

That nostalgia has not insulated the film from criticism. Coverage around the release described a split between viewers drawn to “Stephen Chow nostalgia” and others who said some of the humor felt outdated. Even so, the opening numbers show that mixed reactions have not kept the film from dominating the conversation, or the multiplexes.

The rollout also had a promotional edge aimed at widening its appeal. A women’s football-themed poster was unveiled alongside the premiere, and Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung signaled strong support by booking 18 screenings, The Star reported. Chow had said on June 22 that he was working hard to make the film ready for a July 10 release, underscoring how tightly the launch was timed.

For China’s post-slump theatrical market, the opening adds another data point to the argument that domestic movies can still command the biggest frames when they arrive with a recognizable brand and a mass-market hook. That is the competition Hollywood faces most directly in mainland China: not simply a local title, but a local event film with a built-in audience and a proven comic star at the center. Chow has done it before, too. Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back took in $83.4 million in two days during the 2017 Lunar New Year period, showing the scale his films can still reach when the crowd turns out.