Stephen Chow is officially back! Kung Fu Footballthe long-awaited comedy legend Shaolin Football The spinoff and his first film as a director in seven years dominated the Chinese box office with a whopping $73.6 million (RMB 500.3 million) over the weekend, according to data from Artisan Gateway. Total ticket sales over two days represent nearly three-quarters of total ticket sales in the world’s second-largest film market, and nine times the sales of its closest competitor.
The film opened on Saturday across mainland China, including IMAX screens, and grossed $38.3 million (RMB 260.6 million) on its first day, according to ticketing giant Maoyan, with users giving it a score of 9.4 out of 10. Maoyan forecasts currently project a gross cume of $368 million (RMB 2.5 billion) – though such early projections are routinely subject to revision as the title moves deeper into its run.
Chow, 64, wrote and directed the Hong Kong-China co-production, his first feature film behind the camera since 2019. The new king of comedy – But he does not appear on screen, after he moved away from acting after 2008 CJ7. The film reboots the beloved Shaolin Football An all-female team, the film follows underdog Team Emei, whose female players incorporate martial arts into their game during an unlikely run through a tournament dubbed the Supreme Invincibility Cup. Zhang Xiao Fei (Hello mom) leads the staff as the team’s captain, along with Dilraba Dilmurat as the star striker and Lei Zhang as the team’s kung fu coach. Other supporting and guest appearances range from Hong Kong screen icon Karina Lau and Japanese star Takeru Satoh to former Chinese national team goalkeeper Zhao Lina and American comedian Jimmy Au Yang.
The Chinese release, handled by Maoyan Entertainment, is timed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original – and to capitalize on FIFA World Cup fever this summer.
Shaolin Football It broke Hong Kong box office records upon its release in 2001, becoming the city’s highest-grossing local film at the time before becoming an international favorite.
Plan to Kung Fu FootballThe global product rollout is still underway. Singaporean Encore Films acquired global rights outside the mainland last month, but the film does not have a US release date. Encore, which handled the international release of the record-setting Chinese anime Ni Cha 2 Last year, it arranged regional-by-regional deals.
worldwide Minions and monstersthe latest entry in the blockbuster Illumination franchise Minions Franchise, falling to second place in its second weekend in China, adding $8.1 million (CNY 55.4 million) — down nearly 50 percent from its debut of $16.4 million — for a 10-day domestic total of $32.4 million (CNY 220 million).
On the third, The Three Kingdoms: The Beginning – The opening installment of the planned animated saga from Light Chaser Animation, the studio behind 2023’s Smash Chang An – It bowed to a relatively muted $4.7 million (CNY 31.7 million) since its debut on Friday, versus a cume of $6.4 million (CNY 43.4 million).
A24 Back rooms It finished in fourth place with $3.2 million (CNY 21.9 million), bringing its three-week total in China to $21.8 million (CNY 148 million). Directed by 20-year-old YouTube sensation Ken Parsons and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Rainsev, the liminal space horror sensation grossed more than $330 million worldwide against a $10 million budget, making it the highest-grossing release in A24 history. The Chinese haul is also the independent label’s largest total to date in the Asian market.
Around fifth place is Taopiaopiao’s sci-fi comedy satire Keep it real It earned $3 million (CNY 20.7 million) for 11 days with a total of $18.5 million (CNY 126 million). Directed by Xing Wenxiong, the local satire stars Bai Jingting as a superhero who is sent to his provincial hometown, where he discovers that his most terrifying adversaries are bureaucracy, banquet etiquette, and social policies in small towns.
As of Sunday, China’s 2026 box office revenue stands at $2.74 billion, down 38.6 percent from the same point last year — a comparison that’s deviated from the historic trajectory of early 2025 for the all-time record holder. Ni Cha 2 ($2.26 billion) – although the return of Zhao would help narrow the deficit somewhat.
