In the latest film “Kung Fu Women’s Soccer” directed by Stephen Chow, actress Carina Lau made a special appearance as the Emei team master. During the filming on set, Carina Lau and Stephen Chow were seen sharing a close and affectionate interaction, displaying a fun and genuine friendship between them.
The official account of “Kung Fu Women’s Soccer” recently released behind-the-scenes footage showing the interaction between Stephen Chow and Carina Lau during the filming of the movie. In the video, Carina Lau asked the crew to take a photo of her and Stephen Chow, addressing him affectionately as “Sing-Chai.” It is worth noting that Stephen Chow and Carina Lau have known each other since 1988, spanning 38 years of friendship. While the world reveres Stephen Chow for his comedic achievements by calling him “Sing Yeh,” Carina Lau still refers to him with the nickname “Sing-Chai” from their early days.
Carina Lau’s use of this nickname for Stephen Chow after so many years holds a sense of familiarity that cannot be replaced by outsiders. Perhaps it is not about fame or status, but simply about remembering the young Stephen Chow they first met.
Interestingly, the usually reserved Stephen Chow let loose completely in front of his old friend Carina Lau. The two of them enjoyed each other’s company, and at moments of excitement, Stephen Chow would dance and gesture animatedly, making Carina Lau burst into laughter, filling the set with infectious joy.
In the photo, Stephen Chow is seen wearing a white t-shirt, a baseball cap, and a mask, appearing affectionate leaning on Carina Lau’s shoulder. After taking the photo, Stephen Chow even reminded Carina Lau not to share it with others. Surprisingly, Carina Lau first exclaimed, followed by uploading the photo to social media, jokingly saying, “I’m not afraid of others seeing it.”
In fact, Carina Lau had already shared this behind-the-scenes photo on Weibo last year. The two of them previously collaborated in the 1996 classic comedy film “The God of Cookery,” with the iconic line “Are you hungry? Let me cook you a bowl of noodles,” which Carina Lau used as the caption for the photo.
“Kung Fu Women’s Soccer” premiered in China on July 11th with strong momentum, showcasing tremendous box office success. The film surpassed 200 million yuan on its opening day, achieving the hundred million mark in just 27 minutes. By the second day of release (July 12th), the cumulative box office exceeded 500 million yuan, crossing the 600 million mark on the third day, currently leading the 2026 summer box office chart in China.
Given the film’s early success at the box office, third-party platforms like “Maoyan Professional Edition” have raised the forecasted total box office revenue to 2.5 billion yuan.
With the continuous surge in box office revenue, the reputation of “Kung Fu Women’s Soccer” online presents a mixed reception. On ticketing platforms, Maoyan gives it a score of 9.4, while Taopiaopiao rates it at 9.5, with many viewers appreciating the film for retaining Stephen Chow’s signature nonsensical style, delivering a mix of humor and light-hearted entertainment. However, on Douban, the film only scores 6.6, with some fans and critics (such as Dongfang TV host Lin Hai) criticizing it for “too many old tropes, weak script, and awkward plot.” After facing backlash from fans, Lin Hai deleted the post.
Despite the criticisms, there are still heavyweight celebrities in the entertainment industry openly supporting the film. Jay Chou, the king of pop, reposted the movie poster on Instagram, cheering for Stephen Chow and hoping for the long-lasting success of “Kung Fu Women’s Soccer.” The queen of pop, Stefanie Sun, also shared a playful photo with Stephen Chow, wishing the film “to soar to the sky and draw full houses at every screening.”
Due to the high production cost of 380 million yuan, it is widely believed in the industry that the film needs to surpass 1.1 billion yuan at the box office to break even. The long-term box office performance in the later stages of the film will greatly depend on its retention rate in the emerging markets and the screening performance after the film enters theaters.