Summary of Key Points
After the release of "Kung Fu Women's Football," the film became embroiled in a controversy over ticket fraud. A third-party organization claimed that over 400 million yuan was stolen from box office revenues, but the Stephen Chow fan club countered, stating that only more than 1.6 million yuan was actually recovered. The cinemas used various tactics to cheat, including issuing handwritten tickets (which did not get recorded in the system) and "yin-yang" tickets (where customers bought tickets for one movie but watched another to profit from the price difference). This behavior was driven by the meager profits of the cinemas. The film's production team took measures such as changing the source of the movie files and distributing keys in segments, but due to the large number of cinemas and the difficulty of regulating them in smaller cities, it was impossible to completely prevent the fraud. Although there are penalties for such activities, ticket fraud remains common during the release of blockbuster films.
Detailed Analysis
1. The Discrepancy in Ticket Fraud Figures: 400 Million vs 1.6 Million – Whose Data Is More Credible?
The third-party company Top Data claimed that "Kung Fu Women's Football" lost 400 million yuan in ticket sales (28% of the total box office), but the Stephen Chow fan club argued that this was merely trying to capitalize on the film's popularity. They identified 404 cinemas that violated the rules and only managed to recover a little over 1.6 million yuan. The offending cinemas also admitted their wrongdoing; for example, the Xinyu Times Cinema in Jiangxi cited "system issues" as the reason for their violations and had their access to subsequent movie keys (the necessary codes for playing the film) revoked. Why is there such a large difference between the figures? Top Data may have estimated the loss based on industry averages, while the fan club reported the actual amount recovered, but the truth remains to be verified.
2. Two Common Tactics Used by Cinemas for Ticket Fraud
- Handwritten Tickets: Customers bought tickets for "Kung Fu Women's Football," but the cinemas issued handwritten copies instead of official computer-generated ones. This prevented the ticket sales from being recorded in the national ticketing system, preventing the film's production team from receiving their share of the revenue, which went entirely to the cinemas.
- Yin-Yang Tickets: Customers bought tickets for "Kung Fu Women's Football," but when scanned, they showed less popular films like "Lieliu" or "Huaban Yu." The reason for this was that less popular films had lower settlement prices (e.g., 20 yuan per ticket compared to the maximum of 35 yuan for "Kung Fu Women's Football"). Cinemas paid the film's production team based on the lower price of the lesser-known films, pocketing the difference. The fan club reported that over 90 cinemas used this method to launder money.
3. Why Do Cinemas Take the Risk of Cheating?
Cinemas are motivated by their meager profits. According to industry standards, a 5% tax is deducted for the National Film Fund and a 3.3% VAT, leaving 91.7% of the revenue to be split between the film's production team (43%) and the cinemas (57%). Although cinemas seem to get a larger share, they have high costs such as rent, staffing, and equipment maintenance. For example, with a 100-yuan ticket, cinemas only receive around 52.3 yuan after deductions, leaving them with very little profit. Cheating (e.g., with handwritten tickets) allows them to keep the full amount, significantly increasing their profits.
4. Efforts by the Film's Production Team and Regulatory Authorities
The film's production team issued a statement within two days of release to condemn ticket fraud and set up a reporting mechanism. They also changed the source of the movie files and distributed keys in segments to prevent cinemas from copying the films in advance. However, with over ten thousand cinemas nationwide, especially in smaller cities, it is difficult for regulatory authorities to monitor everything effectively. In 2026, seven cinemas were punished for ticket fraud (confiscation of illegal gains and fines of 50,000 to 70,000 yuan), but these penalties may not be sufficient to deter such behavior. For instance, during the release of "Nezha 2," a cinema in Shanghai sold only two tickets per show but still managed to steal 250,000 yuan from box office revenues.
5. Ticket Fraud Is Not a New Phenomenon for Blockbuster Films
Blockbuster films with high ticket sales are particularly vulnerable to fraud. During the 2025 Spring Festival season, customers in Qinghai and Shandong also reported cases of handwritten tickets, with offending cinemas blaming "machine failures." The large profits involved make it lucrative for cinemas to cheat, leading to a persistent problem.
Conclusion
Ticket fraud is essentially a result of cinemas' desperate attempts to maximize their profits under pressure. While the film's production teams and regulatory authorities are making efforts, more advanced technical monitoring systems (e.g., real-time verification of ticket sales) and stricter penalties (such as revocation of licenses) are needed to deter cinemas from cheating in the first place.