SUBMITTED BY Timbo

September 23, 2003 — Fans in North America who have given up waiting on Miramax to release the kung fu film "Shaolin Soccer" are trading it online.

A comedy about a group of Shaolin monks who blend their kung fu skills with soccer is a smash hit with file sharers). The movie has landed on file traders' top 10 list for the past four months, according to BayTSP, a company that sniffs around peer-to-peer sites for illegal copies of movies and music.

Starring Stephen Chow, Shaolin Soccer was a huge hit in Hong Kong. And judging from those who are seeking it online, the wacky flick has sustained its popularity.

"It does have a cult following," said Mark Pollard, founder and webmaster of Kung Fu Cinema, a site that posts news and reviews of martial arts films. "There's been a lot of frustration with these cult fans about Miramax limiting the ability for this film to be widely released in the U.S."

Fans of the Kung Fu genre have been waiting for Shaolin Soccer for months. Miramax has postponed its release date at least three times. Originally released in Cantonese with English subtitles, the film was dubbed into English for U.S. audiences. Now, the studio intends to release the movie in the original form with English subtitles instead.

Read the full article at the link below.