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.
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. The fourth film was originally announced to be the last film in the main series and concludes with the death of Ip Man; however a fifth film was announced in May 2023.
Films Ip Man (2008)
Ip Man was directed by Wilson Yip and written by Edmond Wong. 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. 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.
Ip Man 2 (2010)
The sequel is set in 1949, when Ip Man moved to Hong Kong and attempts to promote Wing Chun in the region. It was intended to focus on the relationship between Ip Man and his most famed disciple Bruce Lee. 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.
Ip Man 3 (2015)
Principal photography began in Shanghai on 25 March 2015, which Yip is again directing the film based on the script by Wong. Donnie Yen again portrays the role of Ip Man, along with him Mike Tyson also plays the role of a street fighter. 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, but Danny Chan was eventually cast in the role.
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)
On 30 September 2016, Yen announced via Facebook that he and Wilson Yip would continue the franchise with Ip Man 4. 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. The film was originally announced to be the last film in the main series.
Future films
Master Z sequel
In 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.
Ip Man 5 On 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.
Recurring cast and characters
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 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 Box office
Film Year Box office gross () Budget () HK China NA Elsewhere Worldwide Ip Man 2008 $3,300,847 $13,728,640 $5,084,936 $22,114,423 $11.7 million Ip Man 2 2010 $5,559,550 $205,675 $9,983,317 $49,721,954 $12.9 million Ip Man 3 2015 $7,842,871 $124,101,198 $2,679,437 $22,221,247 $156,844,753 $36 million Master Z: Ip Man Legacy 2018 $1,976,450 $19,490,366 $209,454 $156,379 $21,832,649 $28 million Ip Man 4: The Finale 2019 $3,725,263 $165,290,606 $3,956,031 $2,685,469 $175,657,369 $52 million Total $22,404,981 $356,584,222 $7,050,597 $40,131,348 $426,171,148 $140.6 million
Critical response Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic Ip Man 85% (27 reviews) 59% (9 reviews) Ip Man 2 96% (28 reviews) 67% (13 reviews) Ip Man 3 76% (51 reviews) 57% (14 reviews) Master Z: Ip Man Legacy 89% (37 reviews) 72% (14 reviews)Ip Man 4: The Finale 87% (31 reviews) 62% (11 reviews)
Home media Ip 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.
See also The Grandmaster Ip Man: The Final Fight The Legend Is Born: Ip Man
References