The Best Wuxia Martial Arts Movie Was Only Released In America Thanks To Quentin Tarantino

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Quentin Tarantino is known for championing films that might otherwise be ignored, and he once helped bring attention to a truly great wuxia movie. Following the Oscar win for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000, studios were looking for similar films in 2002, and Tarantino supported one in particular.

Despite its incredible quality – even better than many Oscar-nominated films – a martial arts action movie released in 2002 was shelved by Miramax for nearly two years. The studio’s reluctance to release it in the US was baffling, until Quentin Tarantino intervened and urged the executives to do so. Thankfully, he was right, and the film became a huge hit.

Hero Was Only Released In America Because Quentin Tarantino Demanded It

In 2002, director Zhang Yimou released his action film, Hero, in China. The movie features Jet Li as a nameless warrior who is caught up in a plot to assassinate Ying Zheng, the man who would become China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuang. The film unfolds as the warrior recounts the events leading up to the assassination attempt and details the various assassins involved.

When it came out, the movie was a huge hit. It was China’s most expensive film project to date, but it quickly earned back its cost and became one of the country’s highest-grossing films ever. In its first week in Chinese theaters, Hero made $11.8 million.

The movie Hero had a hugely successful opening, breaking box office records in all 200 theaters where it premiered nationwide. It was even nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, but ultimately lost to Germany’s Nowhere in Africa. Despite this, Miramax inexplicably delayed its release in the United States.

You know, this whole thing really reminded me of Quentin Tarantino. If you follow his work, you’ll know he basically learned filmmaking working at a video store, soaking up every kind of movie. But he was especially into martial arts flicks – kung fu, all that good stuff. After practically declaring his love for the genre with Kill Bill, he became a huge champion for Hero, really trying to get people to see it.

After a long wait, Quentin Tarantino finally succeeded in getting his film Hero released in American cinemas on August 27, 2004 – two years after its debut in China. Tarantino explained that Miramax Studios had become doubtful about the film’s success and wanted to make major edits before releasing it. To avoid this, Tarantino offered the studio an irresistible compromise:

I really had to convince Miramax to stick with the film. They seemed to lose confidence in it, but I believed it was a perfect work, so I pushed back against any cuts. I didn’t want them to change it, just release it as I had originally seen it. Eventually, they agreed if I personally presented it to them. I reached out to Zhang Yimou, and he was completely on board – he was thrilled, actually.

What made the film Hero special wasn’t just the impressive fight scenes choreographed by Li Huanying. The movie also featured a fantastic cast of martial arts stars, including Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Donnie Yen, and Zhang Ziyi.

Hero Ended Up As The First Chinese-Language Movie To Top American Box Office

Quentin Tarantino truly understood the potential of Hero. Despite Miramax initially doubting the film and wanting to make changes, Tarantino persuaded them to release it as it was, and it became a huge hit in the United States. Following its record-breaking success in China, Hero achieved the same impressive results in American cinemas.

Although Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a huge hit, it surprisingly never reached number one at the box office. Despite earning $213 million globally, its highest ranking was only 4th place in any given weekend. Hero, while making less with $176 million worldwide, actually managed to achieve something Crouching Tiger didn’t: top the box office charts.

When it was released on the weekend, Hero made history as the first foreign-language film to reach number one at the North American box office, earning $18 million. It stayed in the top spot for another week, bringing in $8.8 million, and remained in the top 40 until the Thanksgiving holiday.

Hero was the most popular game for over two weeks, leading the daily charts from August 27th to September 9th. Then, Resident Evil: Apocalypse took the top spot.

Hero Challenges Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon As Wuxia’s Best Genre Film

Ang Lee’s 2000 film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, was a completely new experience for most American audiences. It was the movie that first exposed many people to the exciting world of wuxia – a Chinese genre featuring heroic martial artists who follow a strict moral code, often with gravity-defying fight scenes.

The movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a huge hit with audiences and a critical success. It received ten Academy Award nominations, including top categories like Best Picture and Best Director, and ultimately won four Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film, Art Direction, Cinematography, and Original Score.

While it’s true that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was groundbreaking as one of the first films of its kind from Hollywood, its success shouldn’t be the sole reason for its positive reputation. Ultimately, Hero was a superior film.

While both films feature amazing fight scenes, Hero felt a bit more grounded and realistic within its story compared to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Hero also delved deeper into the very concept of heroism, making it feel more like a classic myth.

Both Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero are critically acclaimed films – Crouching Tiger has a 98

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2026-01-03 21:21