Updated

Updated · The Star Online · Jul 10

Cecilia Cheung Books 18 Screenings for Stephen Chow's 'Kung Fu Soccer' Ahead of July 11 Premiere

Updated

Updated · The Star Online · Jul 10

Cecilia Cheung Books 18 Screenings for Stephen Chow's 'Kung Fu Soccer' Ahead of July 11 Premiere

Q: Does Stephen Chow's new film redefine his comedic legacy, or prove the old formula still works in 2026?

Stephen Chow’s new film looks less like a reinvention than a strong confirmation that his old formula still works in 2026. “Kung Fu Soccer” is explicitly built as a spiritual successor to “Shaolin Soccer,” returning to the mix that made Chow famous: underdog sports drama, martial-arts absurdity, heavy visual effects, slapstick, and emotional uplift. The shift to a women’s football team gives the premise a fresh angle, but the core creative engine remains recognizably Chow’s. The early market evidence is strong. The film opened in China on July 11 and took in about $38.3 million on day one, reaching roughly $73.6 million over its first two days, while earning a 9.4/10 Maoyan audience score. Those numbers suggest audiences are responding not to a radical departure, but to a polished revival of a familiar style that still has commercial force. Cecilia Cheung’s public backing helps underline the continuity of Chow’s legacy. Her 18 private screenings and Weibo promotion connect the new release to the era when Chow launched her career in “King of Comedy” and later “Shaolin Soccer.” That nostalgia likely boosts opening attention, especially in China’s fan-driven online ecosystem, though longer-term performance will depend more on audience word of mouth than celebrity support. So far, the evidence points to durability over redefinition: Chow has updated the packaging, but the appeal remains the same—big-hearted, physics-defying comedy that audiences still want to watch.

3 articles · Updated · The Star Online · Jul 10

Cecilia Cheung reserved 18 private screenings of Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Soccer and offered free tickets to fans in a July 6 Weibo post.
Her agency said the bookings were meant to back Chow’s new film, describing it as reviving the spirit of Shaolin Soccer after 25 years with women’s football and kung fu at its core.
Kung Fu Soccer opens in China on July 11 and in Malaysia in August, starring Zhang Xiaofei, Lay Zhang and Dilraba Dilmurat, with Carina Lau and Takeru Satoh in special appearances.
The support reflects Cheung’s long ties to Chow, who launched her film career in 1999’s King of Comedy; she also appeared in 2001’s Shaolin Soccer, which grossed US$42.8 million worldwide.