Kung Fu Hustle (2005)
92%RT Audience Score: 89%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
25 wins & 47 nominations total
Kung Fu Hustle blends special effects, martial arts, and the Looney Toons to hilarious effect.
Kung Fu Hustle is a wild ride that will leave you laughing and gasping for air. It’s like Looney Tunes meets martial arts, with over-the-top special effects and fight scenes that defy the laws of physics. Stephen Chow is a genius at blending different genres and moods, creating a movie that’s both hilarious and intoxicating. Sure, it’s extremely violent, but it’s also extremely fun. If you’re looking for a feel-good movie that will leave you smiling, Kung Fu Hustle is the perfect choice. Just don’t take it too seriously, or you might miss the point.
Production Company(ies)
Rossen Films,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Shanghai, China
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sequences of strong stylized action and violence
Year of Release
2005
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 12.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 39m
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Language(s):Cantonese, Mandarin
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Country of origin:United States, China, Hong Kong
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 22, 2005 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 9, 2005
Genre(s)
Action/Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Stephen Chow, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu, Siu-Lung Leung, Dong Zhihua, Chiu Chi-ling, Danny Chan, directed by Stephen Chow, written by Tsang Kan Cheong, Stephen Chow, Chan Man Keung, action, comedy, fantasy, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Sam Ho, David Ansen, Ken Tucker, Simon Crook, Tasha Robinson, Paul Arendt, Kanishk Devgan, Leigh Paatsch, Sebastian Zavala Kahn, Miles Fielder, Sean Axmaker, Dorothy Woodend, produced by Stephen Chow, Po Chu Chui, Jeffrey Lau, MPAA rating, Sony Pictures Classics, SDDS, Dolby SRD, Scope (2.35:1), martial arts, Looney Toons, Shanghai, Pig Sty Alley, Axe Gang, kung fu masters, retired, anonymous, interlopers
Worldwide gross: $104,882,445
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $159,839,098
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 816
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 17,430,654
US/Canada gross: $17,108,591
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $26,073,208
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,323
US/Canada opening weekend: $269,225
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $410,294
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,448
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $20,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $30,479,667
Production budget ranking: 1,149
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $16,413,300
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $112,946,131
ROI to date (est.): 241%
ROI ranking: 547
Yuen Wah – Landlord
Yuen Qiu – Landlady
Siu-Lung Leung – The Beast
Dong Zhihua – Donut
Chiu Chi-ling – Tailor
Director(s)
Stephen Chow
Writer(s)
Tsang Kan Cheong, Stephen Chow, Chan Man Keung
Producer(s)
Stephen Chow, Po Chu Chui, Jeffrey Lau
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
25 wins & 47 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (189) | Top Critics (49) | Fresh (171) | Rotten (18)
Chow is a genius in generating extraordinary drama from the familiar.
November 19, 2013
Sam Ho
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
So disarmingly eager to please that only a stone-faced kung fu purist could object.
November 1, 2007
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Chow’s movie may seem nutty on the surface, but its slyness, its dreamy unfolding of so many moods and genres, becomes intoxicating.
May 12, 2006
Ken Tucker
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
Invigorating, bombastic, out-there and very funny.
January 7, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
Simon Crook
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
A film where special effects erase physics and the constraints of the human body, there’s absolutely no telling what will come next.
September 26, 2005
Tasha Robinson
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
Kung Fu Hustle is essentially one long computer-enhanced Looney Tunes punch-up – – and probably the most fun you’ll have at the movies all year.
May 25, 2005 | Rating: 5/5
Paul Arendt
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
A hilarious, loving homage to cartoons, wuxia films and much more, Kung Fu Hustle, written, directed, and starring Stephen Chow, pops, sizzles and enjoys every minute as much as we do.
March 30, 2021
Kanishk Devgan
Film Companion
Extremely violent, but extremely in a league of its own.
November 17, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
The film works thanks to its expertly choreographed martial arts sequences, ridiculous but hilarious comedy moments, and surreal visual effects. [Full review in Spanish]
April 7, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Sebastian Zavala Kahn
Me gusta el cine
There’s nothing subtle about Kung Fu Hustle, and plenty that’s downright ‘stoopid,’ but it’s without doubt a labor of love for Chow, and the feel-good fun is utterly infectious.
April 24, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Miles Fielder
The List
… a go-for-broke goof on classic Chinese warrior dramas and revenge thrillers that packs a lot of action, a crazed cascade of comedy, a parade of characters, and a non-stop barrage of loving jabs at classic martial arts adventures into 99 minutes.
January 5, 2018
Sean Axmaker
Stream on Demand
You might think you’re in for some simple happy-slappy, punchy-kicky type fun — and indeed you are — but Mr. Chow has more tricks up his sleeve.
August 24, 2017
Dorothy Woodend
The Tyee (British Columbia)…
Plot
Set in Canton, China in the 1940s, the story revolves in a town ruled by the Axe Gang, Sing who desperately wants to become a member. He stumbles into a slum ruled by eccentric landlords who turns out to be the greatest kung-fu masters in disguise. Sing’s actions eventually cause the Axe Gang and the slumlords to engage in an explosive kung-fu battle. Only one side will win and only one hero will emerge as the greatest kung-fu master of all.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Stephen Chow, who directed, produced, and starred in Kung Fu Hustle, is known for his unique blend of comedy and martial arts in his films.
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