The long read · Hong Kong cinema
Hollywood of the East: Hong Kong Cinema and Its Global Stars
For half a century Hong Kong made some of the most thrilling films on earth, from kung fu to heroic bloodshed and Wong Kar-wai’s romances, and its stars conquered Hollywood. Here is the story, and where to watch in the city.
Updated October 2026
From Movietown to Wong Kar-wai
In the 1960s the Shaw Brothers built Movietown at Clearwater Bay, a studio city of costume epics and martial-arts films. In 1970 Golden Harvest was founded, and it made Bruce Lee a star with The Big Boss and Fist of Fury before Enter the Dragon, made with Warner Bros., took him worldwide in 1973, the year he died. Jackie Chan followed with comedy and breathtaking stunts.
In the 1980s John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow, with Chow Yun-fat, invented a new kind of gangster film, and Tsui Hark and Ann Hui led a new wave. Wong Kar-wai won best director at Cannes for Happy Together in 1997, Infernal Affairs (2002) was remade in Hollywood as The Departed, winner of the Oscar for best picture, and Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle became a global hit.
Must-watch films
To understand Hong Kong cinema, start with these.
- Enter the Dragon (1973): Bruce Lee’s martial-arts classic, made with Hollywood.
- A Better Tomorrow (1986): John Woo’s gangster melodrama with Chow Yun-fat.
- Chungking Express (1994): Wong Kar-wai’s dreamy pair of love stories in Tsim Sha Tsui and Central.
- In the Mood for Love (2000): Wong Kar-wai’s masterpiece, which won Tony Leung best actor at Cannes.
- Infernal Affairs (2002): the police-and-triad thriller remade as The Departed.
- Kung Fu Hustle (2004): Stephen Chow’s riotous martial-arts comedy.
The stars
Hong Kong’s stars are known everywhere.
- Bruce Lee (1940–1973): the martial artist who changed action cinema for ever.
- Jackie Chan: the stunt genius, honoured with an Oscar for his career in 2016.
- Chow Yun-fat: the cool hero of John Woo’s films and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
- Maggie Cheung: the first Asian actress to win best actress at Cannes, for Clean in 2004.
- Tony Leung Chiu-wai: Wong Kar-wai’s leading man, best actor at Cannes in 2000.
- Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui: the singing stars whose films are still loved.
Where to watch in Hong Kong
The Hong Kong International Film Festival, first held in 1977, is one of Asia’s oldest. The Hong Kong Film Archive in Sai Wan Ho, opened in 2001, screens restored classics, and M+ in West Kowloon has its own cinemas. On the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, a bronze statue of Bruce Lee, unveiled in 2005, poses in front of the harbour.
Our advice: see a restored Shaw Brothers classic at the Film Archive, then walk the Avenue of Stars at night for the harbour lights.
Hidden on the silver screen: international productions filmed in Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s harbour and towers are among the most filmed views in the world.
- Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955): William Holden and Jennifer Jones fall in love on the hills above the harbour.
- The Man with the Golden Gun (1974): James Bond visits the Peninsula Hotel and an MI6 office in the wreck of the Queen Elizabeth in the harbour.
- The Dark Knight (2008), Central: Batman leaps from Two IFC, the tallest tower on Hong Kong Island.
- Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Quarry Bay: the chase through the dense “Monster Building” estate.
Hong Kong in Hollywood
Hong Kong gave Hollywood its action language. John Woo directed Face/Off and Mission: Impossible 2, Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-fat became Hollywood stars, and Michelle Yeoh, who began her career in Hong Kong action films, won the Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once. Hong Kong fight choreographers shaped films from The Matrix onwards.
Questions and answers
Where is the Bruce Lee statue in Hong Kong?
On the Avenue of Stars on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, unveiled in 2005 for what would have been his 65th birthday.
When is the Hong Kong International Film Festival?
Every spring. It was first held in 1977 and is one of Asia’s oldest film festivals.
Join the conversation
Which Hong Kong film or star do you love most? Share your favourite scenes and the films we should add.
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Sources: the Hong Kong Film Archive, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, the Avenue of Stars, the Festival de Cannes and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, checked on 6 November 2026. The trailers are from GKIDS’, Warner Bros.’ and MUBI’s official channels.