Explainer | What happened in Hong Kong cinema during the 1970s beyond Bruce Lee and the New Wave movement: Michael Hui, Jackie Chan, the rise of kung fu and sex movies, and more

At the start of the 1970s, there was Bruce Lee. At the end, there was the Hong Kong New Wave. We take a look at what went on between the two in Hong Kong cinema

Michael Hui’s comedy connected audiences with his films, kung fu got real – as did sex – the police film genre was born and Jackie Chan achieved stardom

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Ricky Hui (front) and Michael Hui in a still from “The Contract” (1978). Hui was the box-office champion in the 1970s, but what else happened in Hong Kong cinema during that decade?

Published: 6:15pm, 24 Dec 2023

The 1970s are usually defined by the phenomenal success of Bruce Lee at the start of the decade, and the Hong Kong New Wave at the end.

But a lot happened in between. Here we take a look at the “other” 1970s.

Fun at the box office

Bruce Lee achieved the biggest box-office success in Hong Kong in the 1970s, right? Actually, he did not – that honour went to comedian Michael Hui Koon-man, the decade’s box-office champ.

According to a 1978 chart of all-time local box-office hits, Hui’s The Private Eyes (1976), The Contract (1978) and Games Gamblers Play (1974) held the top three spots.

Lee did not make an appearance until Way of The Dragon (1972) showed up in seventh place, behind foreign blockbusters like Jaws and The Towering Inferno, and Chor Yuen’s popular satire House of 72 Tenants (1973).

Hui’s films were hilarious, but they also connected with audiences because they were the first movies to define a specifically Hong Kong – rather than Chinese – culture.

Coming at a time when the colonial government was riven by corruption scandals, Hui’s films depicted average citizens – albeit hilariously exaggerated ones – standing up for themselves against the excesses of authority.