Ip Man is a series of Hong Kong martial arts films loosely based on the life events of the Wing Chun master of the same name. The progenitor of the series was Ip Man (2008), which was followed by three sequels: Ip Man 2 (2010), Ip Man 3 (2015), and Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019), as well as the spin-off Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018). All four main films were directed by Wilson Yip, written by Edmond Wong, produced by Raymond Wong, and starred Donnie Yen as the titular character. Mandarin Films released the first two films in Hong Kong, which earned more than $37 million with a budget of around $24.6 million. As of 2023, the four main films and the spin-off have grossed $426.2 million worldwide combined.
| Ip Man | |
|---|---|
 Series logo | |
| Directed by | Wilson Yip (1-3, 5) Yuen Woo-ping (4) |
| Written by | Edmond Wong (1-5) Chan Tai-lee (1, 3-5) Jil Leung (3) Dana Fukazawa (5) Jil Leung Lai Yin (5) |
| Based on | Ip Man |
| Produced by | Raymond Wong (1-5) Donnie Yen (4-5) Wilson Yip (5) |
| Starring | Donnie Yen (1-3, 5) |
| Cinematography | O Sing-Pui (1) Poon Hang-sang (2) Kenny Tse (3) Cheng Siu-Keung (5) |
| Edited by | Cheung Ka-fai (1-3, 5) |
| Music by | Kenji Kawai (1-3, 5) Day Tai (4) |
Production companies | Dreams Salon Entertainment Culture (3) Pegasus Motion Pictures (3) Starbright Communications (3) Super Hero Films (3) Orange Sky Golden Harvest (4) Mandarin Motion Pictures (4-5) Enlight Pictures (4) Young Enlight Productions (4) Tin Tin Film Production (5) |
| Distributed by | Mandarin Films (1-2) Pegasus Motion Pictures (3) Universal Studios (4) Well Go USA (5) |
Release date | 2008–present |
Running time | 534 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Languages | Chinese (dialect: Cantonese Mandarin) English |
| Budget | US$140.6 million |
| Box office | US$426.2 million |
Donnie Yen has mentioned that each film has a unique theme: the first Ip Man film is about "survival", Ip Man 2 focuses on "making a living and adaptation", and Ip Man 3 focuses on "life" itself.[1] The fourth film was originally announced to be the last film in the main series and conclude with the death of Ip Man;[2] however a fifth film was announced in May 2023.[3]
Films
editIp Man (2008)
editIp Man was directed by Wilson Yip and written by Edmond Wong.[4] It was Raymond Wong's idea to develop a biographical film about Wing Chun master Ip Man. Principal photography began in Shanghai in March 2008 and ended in August. The film was released in Hong Kong on 18 December 2008 by Mandarin Films, and earned around US$21.8 million against the US$11.7 million budget.[5] Donnie Yen portrayed the role of Ip Man in the film, set in the 1930s, focuses on events in Ip's life in the city of Foshan during the Sino-Japanese War.[4]
Ip Man 2 (2010)
editThe sequel is set in 1949, when Ip Man moved to Hong Kong and attempts to promote Wing Chun in the region.[6] It was intended to focus on the relationship between Ip Man and his most famed disciple Bruce Lee.[7] The film was directed by Yip and written by Edmond Wong, while Raymond Wong produced the film and was released in Hong Kong on 29 April 2010 by Mandarin Films. The film grossed more than $50 million against the budget of $12.9 million.[8][9]
Ip Man 3 (2015)
editPrincipal photography began in Shanghai on 25 March 2015, which Yip is again directing the film based on the script by Wong.[10] Donnie Yen is again portraying the role of Ip Man, along with him Mike Tyson is also playing a role of a street fighter.[10] Bruce Lee's character was initially supposed to be featured in CGI, because the producers could not find an actor who could portray Lee convincingly,[10] but Danny Chan was eventually cast in the role.[11]
Principal photography for Ip Man 3 began on 25 March 2015, and the film was released in Hong Kong on 24 December 2015.
Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019)
editOn 30 September 2016, Yen announced via Facebook that he and Wilson Yip would continue the franchise with Ip Man 4.[12] The film was released on 20 December 2019, and portrays Ip Man traveling to San Francisco to secure a spot for his son at a local school. Meanwhile, he crosses paths with his student, Bruce Lee, who had set up a Wing Chun school there. The film ends with Ip Man’s death from cancer in 1972.[3] The film was originally announced to be the last film in the main series.[2]
Future films
editMaster Z sequel
editIn April 2019, it was reported that Max Zhang is set to reprise his role in a sequel to Master Z: Ip Man Legacy. The budget of the sequel was reported to be $13 million, significantly less than the first film's budget of $28 million.[13][14]
Ip Man 5
editOn 18 May 2023, a new Ip Man film titled Ip Man 5 was announced by Mandarin Motion Pictures at the Cannes Film Festival. Donnie Yen also unveiled the poster for the film on his Instagram.[3]
Recurring cast and characters
editThis section includes characters who have appeared in a film in the series.
- An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
- A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
| Character | Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ip Man | Ip Man 2 | Ip Man 3 | Master Z: Ip Man Legacy | Ip Man 4: The Finale | |
| Ip Man | Donnie Yen | Donnie YenA | Donnie Yen | ||
| Cheung Wing-sing | Lynn Hung | Lynn Hung | |||
| Ip Chun | Li Chak | ||||
| Chow Ching-chuen | Simon Yam | ||||
| Chow Kwong-yiu | Calvin Cheng | ||||
| Kam Shan-chau | Louis Fan | ||||
| Fatso | Kent Cheng | Kent Cheng | |||
| Liang Gen | Ngo Ka-nin | Ngo Ka-nin | |||
| Law-Chun-tin | Lo Mang | Lo Mang | |||
| Bruce Lee | Jiang Dai-Yan | Danny Chan | Danny Chan | ||
| Cheung Tin Chi | Max Zhang | ||||
| Cheung Fong | Can Cui | Henry Zhang | |||
| Ma King-sang | Patrick Tam | ||||
| Ip Ching | Wang Yan Shi | He Ye | |||
Reception
editBox office
edit| Film | Hong Kong release date | Box office gross (US$) | Budget (US$) | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | China | United States and Canada | Other territories | Worldwide | ||||
| Ip Man | 19 December 2008 | $3,300,847 | $13,728,640 | — | $5,084,936 | $22,114,423 | $11.7 million | [15][16] |
| Ip Man 2 | 29 April 2010 | $5,559,550 | $33,973,412[17][18] | $205,675 | $9,983,317 | $49,721,954 | $12.9 million | [19][20] |
| Ip Man 3 | 16 December 2015 | $7,842,871 | $124,101,198 | $2,679,437 | $22,221,247 | $156,844,753 | $36 million | [21] |
| Master Z: Ip Man Legacy | 20 December 2018 | $1,976,450 | $19,490,366 | $209,454 | $156,379 | $21,832,649 | $28 million | [22] |
| Ip Man 4: The Finale | 20 December 2019 | $3,725,263 | $165,290,606 | $3,956,031 | $2,685,469 | $175,657,369 | $52 million | [23] |
| Total | $22,404,981 | $356,584,222 | $7,050,597 | $40,131,348 | $426,171,148 | $140.6 million | ||
Critical response
edit| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| Ip Man | 85% (27 reviews)[24] | 59% (9 reviews)[25] |
| Ip Man 2 | 96% (28 reviews)[26] | 67% (13 reviews)[27] |
| Ip Man 3 | 76% (51 reviews)[28] | 57% (14 reviews)[29] |
| Master Z: Ip Man Legacy | 89% (37 reviews)[30] | 72% (14 reviews)[31] |
| Ip Man 4: The Finale | 87% (31 reviews)[32] | 62% (11 reviews)[33] |
Home media
editIp Man Trilogy, a Blu-ray compilation that features the first three films in the series, was released by Well Go USA in November 2016. The Blu-ray also includes special features such as deleted scenes, "behind-the-scenes" featurette and interviews with Donnie Yen and Mike Tyson.[34]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Donnie Yen and Mike Tyson exchange blows". The New Straits Times. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- ^ a b Alladin, Unus (23 September 2019). "Donnie Yen confirms 'Ip Man 4' will be final instalment of series". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- ^ a b c Francisco, Eric (18 May 2023). "'Ip Man 5'? Donnie Yen Announces Sequel to Movie Where His Character Definitely Died". Inverse. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ a b Elley, Derek (20 January 2009). "Review: 'Ip Man'". Variety. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ "Ip Man (2008)". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ "News: IP MAN Sequel Gets The Green Light!". Twitchfilm. 26 November 2008. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ "Ip Man 2 May Still Focus on... Ip Man – Wu-Jing.org". wu-jing.org. 6 March 2009. Archived from the original on 25 February 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ "Three Yip Man Biopics to Commence Filming Soon – Wu-Jing.org". wu-jing.org. 27 July 2009. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c Karen Chu (25 March 2015). "Former Boxing Champ Mike Tyson Signs Up for Hong Kong Action Flick 'Ip Man 3'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ Tsui, Clarence (17 December 2015). "'Ip Man 3': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
- ^ Chew Hui Min (30 September 2016). "Donnie Yen will make Ip Man 4, despite hinting previously he was retiring from gongfu films". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ Vo, David (27 April 2019). "MAX ZHANG To Return For MASTER Z Sequel". MAActionCinema. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ Bona, JJ (26 April 2019). "Max Zhang to return for 'Master Z: Ip Man Legacy' Part II". City on Fire. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ "Ip Man". The Numbers. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Ip Man". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Ip Man 2". Maoyan (in Chinese). Tianjin Maoyan Weiying Culture Media. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) – China". World Bank. 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Ip Man 2". The Numbers. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Ip Man 2". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Ip Man 3". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ "Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy (2018)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- ^ "Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Ip Man". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ "Ip Man". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ "Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ "Ip Man 2". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ "Ip Man 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- ^ "Ip Man 3". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ^ "Master Z: Ip Man Legacy". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Master Z: Ip Man Legacy". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Ip Man 4: The Finale". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Ip Man 4: The Finale". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ Gopaul, Sarah (13 November 2016). "Review: New on DVD for 8 November (Includes first-hand account)". Digital Journal. Retrieved 15 November 2016.