Shaolin Soccer spin-off is a hit in China. Critics say more spectacle than storytelling

Nearly 25 years after Shaolin Soccer, Stephen Chow’s gender-swapped reboot, Kung Fu Soccer, has opened to $73.6 million in two days in China, even as critics call its visuals ‘AI slop’.

Kung Fu Soccer has been criticised for its heavy use of VFX | Wikimedia Commons

New Delhi: With China being absent from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, filmmaker Stephen Chow is reviving football fever in the country nearly 25 years after Shaolin Soccer with its spin-off, Kung Fu Soccer. The film is ruling the Chinese box office, collecting $73.6 million (RMB 500.3 million) in just two days of release and contributing nearly 75 per cent of the country’s weekend box office. 

The new film is a reboot of Shaolin Soccer, but with an all-female squad. The theme and storyline remain similar, following a football team with expertise in kung fu that showcases its skills against footballers enhanced by mysterious serums. 

While the original relied on practical action with limited visual effects, the new film has been criticised for its heavy use of VFX, as many football matches appear to have been shot entirely in front of green screens instead of real stadiums.

Critics have also claimed that the film’s visuals look AI-generated, describing the stadiums and action sequences as “lifeless AI slop.” While the film is positioned as an empowering story about a women’s football team, reviewers argue that the characters are driven more by broken marriages and failed relationships than by their footballing abilities or personal growth.

More spectacle than storytelling

According to the South China Morning Post, Shaolin Soccer had a strong emotional backstory that helped audiences connect with its characters. In contrast, the new film introduces its lead as an orphan with little character establishment, making that the sole motivation for her journey.

Reviewers said the reboot focuses more on spectacle than storytelling, losing the emotional underdog charm that made Shaolin Soccer a cult classic.

Stephen Chow, 64, returns to the director’s chair with Kung Fu Soccer, his first directorial release in seven years. His last film as a director was The New King of Comedy (2019), while he stepped away from acting after CJ7 (2008).

Over the years, Chow has blended martial arts, comedy and fantasy in films such as Kung Fu Hustle (2004), Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017), The Mad Monk (1993) and Fist of Fury 1991 (1991).

(Edited by Saptak Datta)