Stephen Chow has returned to the big screen after a long hiatus! The highly anticipated film 'Kung Fu Soccer' by the master comedian had a fantastic opening, grossing $73.6 million (RMB 500.3 million) at the Chinese box office. According to Artisan Gateway, this figure accounted for nearly three-quarters of all ticket sales in the world's second-largest cinema market and earned nine times more than its closest competitor.

The film premiered on Saturday in mainland China, including Imax screens, and made $38.3 million (RMB 260.6 million) on its first day. Ticketing giant Maoyan reported that users rated the film 9.4 out of 10. Maoyan's forecasts predict that the film's total gross will reach $368 million (RMB 2.5 billion); however, such early estimates are often revised as the film progresses through its screening period.

At 64 years old, Chow wrote and directed this Hong Kong-China co-production. 'Kung Fu Soccer', his first feature film project since working behind the camera on 'The New King of Comedy' in 2019, reinterprets the beloved 'Shaolin Soccer' concept with an all-female cast. The film focuses on the Emei team's struggles in the tournament called 'Supreme Invincible Cup' and how the players integrate martial arts into their game. Zhang Xiaofei stars as the team captain, while Dilraba Dilmurat plays the star forward, and Lay Zhang appears as the team's kung fu coach. Additionally, renowned Hong Kong figure Carina Lau and Japanese star Takeru Satoh also make guest appearances in the film.