Renowned Chinese actress Zhang Xiaofei, who is the lead actress in Stephen Chow’s “Kung Fu Women’s Soccer,” made a bold decision during filming by forgoing her fixed fee of 8 million RMB and opting for a “zero fee” pure box office profit-sharing model. With the film grossing over 1.6 billion in the first 11 days of release and an estimated total box office revenue expected to reach 3.1 billion, Zhang Xiaofei’s final earnings are projected to be around 22.75 million. This daring move has sparked widespread attention and discussions.
According to reports from Chinese media, at the peak of her commercial value following the success of “Hi, Mom,” Zhang Xiaofei’s management team faced two contracts for “Kung Fu Women’s Soccer”: one offering 8 million RMB as a fixed fee and the other with no fee but a share of the box office profits. Initially met with resistance from her team due to risk aversion, Zhang Xiaofei insisted on choosing the profit-sharing model.
In order to fully embody the role of the Emei Women’s Soccer team captain “Shuang Shuang” in the film and dedicate her full commitment, Zhang Xiaofei not only cleared her schedule for the entire year but also personally paid nearly 2 million in breach of contract fees. She joined the production early, underwent six months of intense martial arts training, cut her hair that she had grown for five years, engaged in half a year of closed-door special training, reduced her body fat percentage from 24% to 16%, gained about 15 kilograms of muscle, and performed all the high difficulty stunts without a stunt double. Her portrayal as a resolute athlete in the film completely shattered her previous image as just the “national mom” from “Hi, Mom,” significantly expanding her future acting opportunities.
“Kung Fu Women’s Soccer,” since its release on July 11, 2026, has been a box office success. As of July 21, the cumulative box office revenue has exceeded 1.6 billion RMB, currently ranking third on the 2026 mainland China annual box office chart, with a promising box office outlook. According to predictions from Maoyan Professional Edition, if the film reaches the expected 3.1 billion box office revenue, subtracting the production and marketing costs of 380 million, the net profit for the production company is estimated to be around 910 million.
Despite mixed reviews on the visual effects and plot of “Kung Fu Women’s Soccer,” with a rating of approximately 6.6 on Douban, the film has garnered a high score of 9.4 on the Maoyan ticket purchasing platform. The film experienced a “reversal” at the box office in the second weekend of release, and the production team took the initiative to replace and optimize over 1200 visual effects shots a week after the premiere, greatly enhancing its popularity and sparking a trend of repeat viewings, indicating a strong momentum for future box office performance.
Industry predictions suggest that as the first lead actress, with an estimated profit-sharing ratio of 2.5%, Zhang Xiaofei could earn a cash share of 22.75 million. This figure not only surpasses the originally agreed upon fee of 8 million but also covers the breach of contract costs of 2 million. This choice has not only brought her greater financial rewards but more importantly, through working with Stephen Chow, it has led to a structural upgrade of her industry influence and professional value.
With 1200 visual effects shots in the film, Zhang Xiaofei’s decision of a “zero fee” allowed the production team to invest more in post-production and visual effects, ensuring the final product’s high quality. Therefore, in the current tightening investment landscape in the film industry and the frequent failure of traffic-driven films, Zhang Xiaofei’s decision to forego the fixed fee for “Kung Fu Women’s Soccer” and bear the breach of contract cost for a stake in the box office profits is seen as a textbook example of a “professional move of trading immediate gains for long-term assets.”
What is even more impressive is that propelled by the success of “Kung Fu Women’s Soccer” at the box office, Zhang Xiaofei’s cumulative box office earnings from her lead roles have officially exceeded 11 billion, making her the first post-85s female actress in Chinese film history to surpass this milestone.