Stephen Chow, a superstar who once defined the glory days of Chinese comedy films, recently returned to the public eye with the news of the casting of his new film "Women's Football". The name "Women's Football" is reminiscent of Stephen Chow's past masterpiece "Shaolin Football", which seems to be intended to use the glory of the classic to raise the expectations of the new work. However, can such a marketing strategy still replicate its former glory in today's Marché du Film Market?
Since 2004, Stephen Chow's film career seems to have entered a plateau. Although "Journey to the West" and "Mermaid" have achieved good results at the box office, compared with his classics, the performance of these new works in word-of-mouth is greatly reduced. Stephen Chow's movies have changed from previous innovations and breakthroughs to "emotional marketing" that relies on the Spring Festival schedule and old popularity. When "Journey to the West" and "The New King of Comedy" successively encountered the cold eyes of the audience and critics, people couldn't help but question: Has Stephen Chow, the former king of comedy, lost his former creativity?
After a five-year hiatus, Stephen Chow returns with his new plan, Women's Football, this time opting for a bold strategy: an open audition of actors. While this strategy added freshness to the filmmaking, the public response was surprisingly lackluster. Perhaps it's because in the past few years, Stephen Chow's films no longer have the irresistible appeal of the younger generation of audiences, or because audiences are tired of the marketing tactics of "fried cold rice".
In Stephen Chow's new work "Women's Football", in addition to introducing well-known faces such as Korean actor Song Kang-ho, most of the actors' choices seem to be in a fog. Although Stephen Chow said that he prefers amateurs, it is still unknown whether this can reproduce the glory of "Shaolin Football". The public's reaction from eagerness to anticipation to indifference reflects not only skepticism about a project, but also a reflection on the current situation of a former film master.
While Stephen Chow's films were once a banner in the Chinese-language film industry, past success does not guarantee future glory in the unpredictable film market. Whether the final performance of "Women's Football" can reverse Stephen Chow's decline in recent years, we will wait and see. However, it is undeniable that no matter what the result is, Stephen Chow's imprint on the history of Chinese cinema cannot be erased by any evaluation.