John Wick 4 Star Donnie Yen Owes $441M Movie Series Success To Old Chinese Woman Who’d Rather Fight Than Be Married
If there is one Asian star who is a well-recognized face, especially in the martial arts genre, apart from the big 3 (Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li), it has to be Donnie Yen. The 59-year-old veteran actor’s name is known for popularising the art of Wing Chun in his home country.
And it has all been due to his portrayal of the titular Ip Man in the hit film series of the same name. Yen has also worked on various big Hollywood projects such as John Wick 4 and XXX: Return of Xander Cage etc. This provided him with extra popularity and fame in the international market. But he undoubtedly owes his popularity to the Ip Man series.
Donnie Yen Owes His Success to a Chinese Woman’s Rebellious Spirit
There is no question that the Wilson Yip-directed film series Ip Man is one of the biggest and most well-recognized film projects from Hong Kong. The film is popular all over the world. And with such reception, it brought Donnie Yen, who plays the titular character, into the spotlight. The first film came out back in 2008 and since then 3 sequels have followed, along with a spin-off titled Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018).
Also Read: Ip Man 4 Has Been Boycotted in Hong Kong!
Each film did great at the box office and combined made a whopping 426 million dollars in worldwide collection. Naturally, this success helped bring Yen into the center of light in the Hong Kong film industry. And as such, he is also credited with popularising the martial art form ‘Wing Chun’ in China.
However, it was all possible due to a Chinese woman named Yim Wing Chun. According to the legends, while Wing Chun was being forced to marry a warlord, instead of marriage she challenged him to a duel. And this led to the creation of a fighting style co-created by Wing Chun and a Buddhist nun named Ng Mui. The Ip Man film is a biographical film based on a Wing Chun grandmaster’s life events.
More on Donnie Yen’s Film Career
Donnie Yen is one of the biggest stars in Hong Kong who came into the acting scene in the late 80s. Since then, the 59-year-old actor has worked on many other martial arts-based films. And since the early 2000s, he began introducing MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) into the cinemas and thereby helping it become popular among people.
In 2008, his role as the grandmaster Ip Man brought him into the center of light all around the world. Following that, he also has many Hollywood projects under his belt such as John Wick 4, Disney’s Mulan (as General Tang), etc.
Source: IMDB
