Stephen Chow nets $200 million with new soccer comedy, 25 years after Shaolin Soccer
Stephen Chow has officially announced Kung Fu Soccer, the Shaolin Soccer spin-off he’s developing, with more details to follow.
After a huge opening week, Kung Fu Soccer kept its foot on the gas, adding an estimated $73.7 million over the July 17–19 frame and pushing its worldwide haul to nine-day totals that rival major summer releases. The run is landing right in the middle of the 2026 FIFA World Cup buzz, and the timing is clearly helping.
Worldwide total: $214.3 million in nine days.
The film blasted out of the gate with roughly $147 million (RMB 1 billion) in its first seven days and is now chasing Stephen Chow’s personal box office high, set by 2016’s The Mermaid at RMB 3.39 billion. It’s already one of the year’s standout global performers.
The new movie is Chow’s first directing effort since 2019’s The New King of Comedy and arrives as a nod to the 25th anniversary of his cult favorite Shaolin Soccer—this time built as a spiritual spinoff rather than a straight sequel.
The team on the field
Kung Fu Soccer centers on an all-female squad that weaves martial arts into their play as they battle toward the prestigious Supreme Invincible Cup.
- Zhang Xiaofei — team captain
- Dilraba Dilmurat — star striker
- Lay Zhang — kung fu coach
- Cameos: Takeru Satoh, Carina Lau, Jimmy O. Yang
If the new film sends you back to where it all started, the 2001 original Shaolin Soccer is currently streaming for subscribers on Paramount+ in the U.S.