After 7 years of absence, "comedy king" Stephen Chow has returned with his new work "Kungfu Women's Football Team" (Kungfu soccer) in the role of screenwriter and director.
The film gathers a cast including Truong Tieu Phi, Dich Le Nhiet Ba and Truong Nghe Hung in the main roles, and also has the special participation of Luu Gia Linh and Sato Takeru, creating a sensational lineup.
Officially released in China on July 11, after less than 3 hours of screening, the film reached a revenue milestone of 100 million CNY. As of 3 pm on July 13 (China time), "The Kungfu Girl" has surpassed the 550 million CNY mark (about 2,100 billion VND).
With strong growth momentum just over 2 days after release, Maoyan's total revenue for this work is forecast to increase from 1.8 billion CNY to 2.5 billion CNY.
The Kungfu Women's Football Team" is a hot topic of discussion on social networks. Audiences have mixed opinions about the content and quality of the film.
Among them, many fans of Stephen Chow paid attention to a detail that is said to be reminiscent of Ngo Manh Dat - Stephen Chow's long-time co-star who passed away.
In the 3 post-credits of "Women's Kungfu Football Team", the actors who once appeared in "Shaolin Football Team" are Tran Quoc Khon (as Tu Su Huynh) and Lam Tu Thong (as Luc Su De) suddenly appeared in the audience seats with Chau Tinh Tri (as A Tinh).
Although the scene only takes backs, the audience immediately recognizes the characters of the "Shaolin Soccer Team" thanks to their yellow costumes and familiar figures and hairstyles.
In particular, the character believed to be Chau Tinh Tri (A Tinh) still wears an old pair of shoes, covered with patches given by A Mai in "Shaolin Soccer".
The moment that moved many people was when Lam Tu Thong stepped forward and sat next to Chau Tinh Tri, beside him intentionally leaving a seat empty.
Many viewers believe that the empty seat is a tribute to Ngo Manh Dat, Tinh Gia's harmonious co-star who passed away due to a serious illness in 2021.
Ngo Manh Dat and Chau Tinh Tri were once one of the famous co-stars on screen. From 1990 to 2001, the two collaborated in the film series, contributing to creating the golden age of Hong Kong (China) comedy films.
Some classic works that can be mentioned include "Saint Bài", "Trường học uy long", "Cửu phẩm chi ma quan", "Quan xử lạng", "Lộc đỉnh ký", "Đội bóng Thiếu Lâm"...
When he was alive, Ngo Manh Dat once shared in an interview that the relationship between him and Stephen Chow "a bit like no longer having an affair".
He also expressed regret: "Getting to know each other is a predestined relationship, and that predestined relationship is not easy to have". This confession is said to imply that the fate, circumstances and path of both have changed over time.
Ngo Manh Dat passed away in 2021 due to liver cancer. At that time, Stephen Chow quietly came to pay respects at the funeral.
To date, Stephen Chow leaving a seat vacant in the post-credits of "The Female Kungfu Team" to commemorate Ngo Manh Dat is seen by many as proof that the friendship between the two is still intact.
Recently, Stephen Chow has also actively promoted a new movie with Truong Tieu Phi and Dich Le Nhiet Ba. He emotionally shared that he often feels that he has not done enough well and is always afraid of disappointing the audience's support.
