Stephen Chow's 'Kung Fu Soccer' sparks box‑office success and controversy over Korean portrayal and ticket fraud

Stephen Chow’s self‑written and directed comedy "Kung Fu Soccer" premiered in mainland China on 11 July 2026. Within a week the film’s box office topped 1 billion RMB, later reaching 1.06 billion RMB by 18 July and breaking the summer‑opening record with a 2.6 billion RMB first‑day haul. Analysts project total earnings could exceed 25 billion RMB, surpassing its 3.8 billion RMB budget.

The movie has provoked two separate controversies. A sequel scene depicts a fictional Korean women’s team, “Ewha Women’s Soccer Team,” as overly focused on vanity and “cheating” tactics, prompting Korean professor Seok‑kyung‑deok to post on social media: “선 넘는 비유 멈춰야” (“We must stop crossing the line with such analogies”). The portrayal has been described as mocking Korean sports.

Separately, Chow took to Instagram on 16 July to share screenshots of audience‑handwritten tickets, raising suspicion of “ticket‑stealing” where theatres may replace printed tickets with handwritten notes to divert box‑office revenue. Some cinemas claimed wet paper caused the issue, while others admitted staff were suspended. The matter ignited public debate and prompted the production team to tighten security and set up a reporting channel.

Critics also noted the film’s casting of Japanese actor Sato Takeshi and US‑born singer Ou Yang‑Jing, amid heightened China‑Japan and China‑US tensions, adding a geopolitical layer to the cultural rollout.