CJ7

Ti is a construction worker who lives in a rundown home with his son, Dicky, and puts most of his earnings toward keeping the boy in a private school. That sacrifice sets Dicky apart from wealthier classmates, who mock his shabby clothes and his father's humble job. When a fellow pupil brings a robotic dog to class, Dicky longs for a toy of his own, something Ti cannot afford. Searching a junkyard for anything usable, Ti brings home a green orb he takes for a plaything. It soon becomes clear the object is far more than that.

Stephen Chow directed CJ7 and stars as Ti, with Xu Jiao as Dicky and Kitty Zhang, Lam Tze-chung, Lee Sheung-Ching and Yao Wen-Xue in supporting roles. Chow wrote the screenplay with Fung Chih-chiang and Lam Fung, and produced with Han Sanping and Vincent Kok. The Hong Kong production, made with Columbia Pictures, China Film Group, Star Overseas and Sony Pictures Classics, arrived between Kung Fu Hustle and Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons as the eighth of the eleven features Chow has directed.

The film cost about 20 million USD. Its worldwide gross of roughly 50 million USD indicates a solid return, though far below Chow's biggest hits. On IMDb it holds 6.4/10 from 19,000 votes, while on TMDB it has 7.3/10 from 837 votes — a warmer response from that audience. A critics' rating of 5.7/10 from 78 reviews sits below both audience scores, so reviewers were less taken with the blend of family comedy and science fiction than viewers were.