As of the evening of July 14th, the director and screenwriter Stephen Chow’s (Xingye) new film “Kung Fu Women’s Soccer” has been in theaters for 4 days in mainland China, with box office sales surpassing 700 million yuan. This number not only topped the 2026 summer box office chart but also ranked sixth on the 2026 mainland box office chart, propelling a past comment by Stephen Chow about movie tickets to trend on social media.
The data shows that the film was released on July 11th, with an opening day box office of 260 million yuan, breaking 7 records in mainland Chinese film history for the first day of a summer blockbuster. Within two days of release, the box office exceeded 500 million yuan. By 17:54 on the 14th, the film had grossed over 700 million yuan in the mainland after being in theaters for 4 days. With the box office continuing to climb, the professional version of the “Maoyan” prediction raised the film’s total box office forecast to 3.032 billion yuan.
Despite “Kung Fu Women’s Soccer” generating significant attention in the market, it currently presents a unique landscape of “skyrocketing box office but polarized reviews.” The film has high heat on ticket purchasing platforms and in lower-tier markets, but its rating on “Douban” is only at 6.6 points, sparking a fierce debate between film critics and regular audience members.
Supporters believe that the film authentically preserves Stephen Chow’s absurd comedy logic, with dense humor and a lively pace, making it perfect for a summer family outing. Many younger viewers and ordinary movie fans feel that the film’s whimsical nature can bring laughter and provide excellent stress relief in theaters.
Critics argue that the plot framework is almost a replica of “Shaolin Soccer,” following a grassroots team integrating kung fu techniques and discovering ultimate moves before the decisive match, lacking substantial textual innovation and having a hint of commercial sentiment.
Oriental TV host Lin Hai criticized the film after watching it, saying, “Xingye, we don’t owe you anything, it’s terrible,” which led to backlash from a group of fans, prompting him to quickly delete the comment. Additionally, a past statement by Stephen Chow that “nobody owes me any movie tickets” surged on social media.
Others suggest that Stephen Chow’s traditional absurd style is falling behind the times, with actors’ performances being too over-the-top, turning what should be comedy moments into awkward ones. Some question the casting choices, noting that using popular stars like Dilraba Dilmurat and Zhang Yixing cater to the Chinese market but strip the film of its original pure Hong Kong movie flavor.
During a promotional event in Hangzhou on July 14th, Stephen Chow praised Dilraba Dilmurat for her talent, particularly in her role as “Yulung.” He expressed that his biggest impression of Dilraba Dilmurat’s performance is her natural ease on screen.
When discussing Dilraba Dilmurat’s transformation by gaining 8 kilograms to break her traditional image for the role, Stephen Chow remarked, “She actually had very little time for training because our filming schedule was fairly fast-paced. Despite limited training time, she performed exceptionally well right from the beginning. There were surprises in every one of her performances, and many times I asked if she could do it again, not because it wasn’t good, but because I felt she would definitely bring out something more distinctive.”
“Kung Fu Women’s Soccer” stars Zhang Xiaofei, Dilraba Dilmurat, and Zhang Yixing in leading roles, with special appearances by Liu Jialing and Japanese actor Sato Takeru. The film combines Shaolin kung fu and soccer elements, telling the story of the women’s soccer team “Emei Team” who, against the odds, mount a comeback to win the “Supreme Invincible Cup” tournament under the relentless efforts of their captain Shuangshuang (played by Zhang Xiaofei), forward Yulung (Dilraba Dilmurat), and martial arts master Xu Feng (Zhang Yixing).