Stephen Chow's 'Kung Fu Soccer' Opens in North America on October 23 After $351 Million Global Run
"Kung Fu Soccer," written and directed by Stephen Chow, opens on October 23 in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, with Encore Films handling overseas distribution. The film opened in mainland China on July 11 and in Hong Kong on August 13, and has grossed $351.1 million worldwide, including about $349 million in mainland China, where it topped the summer season.
The film follows a women's football team called the Emei Team and is regarded as a spiritual sequel to Chow's 2001 classic "Shaolin Soccer," arriving 25 years later. It stars Zhang Xiaofei, Dilraba Dilmurat and Zhang Yixing, with special appearances by Carina Lau and Takeru Satoh and a cameo by former China women's national team goalkeeper Zhao Lina. The running time is 106 minutes, and the production budget of 380 million yuan makes it the most expensive film of Chow's directing career.
For English-speaking markets, the distributor prepared a special English-language dub featuring Jimmy O. Yang, MC Jin and Chow himself, alongside a Cantonese-language version for select markets.
A trailer released on the distributor Encore Films' official channel accompanies this report.
Source: GSM·America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：《功夫女足》官方预告画面。图片来源：Encore Films Malaysia 官方频道预告截图。 / Photo: A frame from the official teaser for 'Kung Fu Soccer,' via the official Encore Films Malaysia channel.
