Stephen Chow is back on the big screen after a seven-year hiatus Kung Fu football. While the film has become a major box office success, the Hong Kong comedy legend is now appealing for help after reports of widespread ticket fraud allegedly impacting the film’s revenue.
According to QQ, Kung Fu footballdirected and produced by Stephen Chow and starring Zhang Xiaofei, Dilraba Dilmurat and Lay Zhang (Zhang Yixing), it enjoyed considerable theatrical success. The film surpassed the one billion yuan mark in just four days of release, breaking numerous box office records. However, Chow recently addressed an issue on Instagram, revealing that the production was targeted by fraudulent ticketing practices.
Several moviegoers have reported suspicious experiences in movie theaters. Instead of receiving official printed tickets with QR codes, some customers said they received handwritten tickets or that ticket printers and network systems were temporarily unavailable. They were then asked to pay the staff members directly. Such transactions would not be recorded in the official ticketing system, allowing theaters to pocket revenue that should have gone to the film’s distributors and producers.
Authorities are also investigating allegations that some theaters released so-called “ghost tickets”. In these cases, the public who buys tickets for Kung Fu football would have received tickets printed with the name of another film, All wishes come truecausing ticket sales to be credited to the wrong film. Some theaters have reportedly bundled ticket payments with food and drink purchases to hide actual ticket revenue, reducing the amount shared with filmmakers.
Beyond the charges of tax fraud, All wishes come true it also attracted criticism for its similarities to Stephen Chow’s classic works. Viewers have noticed that several lines of dialogue closely resemble those from Chow’s iconic films. While the director of All wishes come true stated that the project was intended as a tribute to the legendary director, critics argue that the film benefited from the parallel release Kung Fu football while allegedly profiting from misleading ticket sales and exploiting Chow’s reputation despite having no official connection to him. The controversy has prompted many fans to call for authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the film’s box office earnings.
In response, Stephen Chow’s team introduced a revised version of Kung Fu football which includes embedded tracking codes that can identify unauthorized screenings and detect irregularities in theater operations. The production has also launched a dedicated hotline encouraging viewers to submit evidence of suspected fraud, which will be used in legal proceedings if necessary.
Box office fraud has emerged repeatedly in the Chinese film industry. Previous successful releases such as Ne Zha 2 AND Creation of the Gods I they also reported concerns about lack of ticket revenue and alleged manipulation during their stage performances.
Kung Fu football reached the 1 billion yuan milestone on July 17, with industry forecasts recently raising its projected final gross from 1.8 billion yuan to a whopping 3 billion yuan. The film is also expected to set several new summer movie attendance records.
According to data cited by Sina, about 60% of the film’s audience is made up of men aged 35 and older, many of them born in the 1970s and 1980s. For these viewers, Stephen Chow’s name alone remains a powerful attraction.
Many Chinese viewers say so “I owe Stephen Chow a movie ticket.” Because many of his classic 1990s films were not widely released in mainland China, audiences often watched them via pirated VHS tapes or DVDs. Now they see buying tickets to his latest films as a way to support the director whose work shaped their childhood. This enduring loyalty also explains why Stephen Chow’s recent releases continue to do well at the box office, even when critical opinion remains divided.
Sources: kenh14
