Stephen Chow's 'Kung Fu Women's Football' Scores 800M RMB Box Office as 'Mermaid 2' Nears Release

Stephen Chow's latest film "Kung Fu Women's Football" opened in mainland China and earned more than 800 million yuan (RMB) in box office within five days, though audience reactions are split, with a Douban rating of 6.6.

The sequel to Chow's 2016 hit "Mermaid", titled "Mermaid 2", completed filming in 2018 and was slated for a 2020 Chinese New Year release, but production was halted after controversies involving original cast members. The film underwent extensive reshoots and script revisions, raising its budget from 300 million to 600 million yuan. In March 2026 it passed official censorship and received a public screening permit, with a tentative release projected for 2028.