Hong Kong director Stephen Chow’s highly anticipated Kung Fu Soccer has received a release date of July 11 in mainland China.
The opening date was revealed today (July 6) alongside a 21-second teaser trailer as tickets go on sale. It coincides with heightened worldwide interest in football due to the ongoing FIFA World Cup, with the final match scheduled for July 19.
It marks the return to the world of football and martial arts for comedy actor-turned-director Chow, who is also the co-writer and chief producer through his Hong Kong-based banner Star Overseas. His 2001 feature Shaolin Soccer proved a critical and commercial hit both locally and around the world.
The new film is a Hong Kong-China co-production, which literally means Kung Fu Woman Soccer in its Chinese title. The story focuses on the captain, star striker and mentor of the Emei Women’s Football Team as they lead the underdog players to make their mark on the pitch and chase their championship dream in the Supreme Invincible Cup.
The cast is led by Zhang Xiaofei, Dilraba Dilmurat and Lay Zhang Yixing with special appearances by Carina Lau and Takeru Satoh, and guest appearances from Zhao Lina, MC Jin, Louis Cheung and Jimmy O. Yang. Maoyan Entertainment is the distributor in mainland China.
Chow is well known as the king of comedy whose blockbuster hits also include 2004’s Kung Fu Hustle, which was co-produced by US studio Columbia Pictures and reportedly grossed more than $100m worldwide. Further hits include 2008’s CJ7 and 2016’s The Mermaid.
Encore Films, which has secured worldwide distribution rights outside mainland China for Kung Fu Soccer, also revealed today that the Singapore release will be on August 6 during the city-state’s long National Day weekend. The Singapore-based company has previously handled multi-territory theatrical rollout of Chinese animations Ne Zha 2 and The Legend of Hei 2.
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