In a major boon for action film enthusiasts and physical media collectors, Shout! Studios is launching a new entertainment label dedicated to restored Hong Kong cinema classics.
The Hong Kong Cinema Classics line will spotlight a treasure trove of Hong Kong cinematic masterpieces, beginning with digital 4K releases in June before expanding to definitive-edition physical media.
The move comes on the back of Shout! Studios nabbing worldwide rights (excluding select Asian territories) to the coveted Golden Princess movie library.
The digital rollout begins June 24, while the label’s first physical release will be “The Jet Li Collection,” a 10-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray box set arriving July 29. This comprehensive set features five of the martial arts superstar’s seminal Hong Kong films: “Fist of Legend,” “Tai Chi Master,” “Fong Sai Yuk,” “Fong Sai Yuk II,” and “The Bodyguard from Beijing.” The lavish collection includes new interviews, audio commentaries, vintage featurettes and more special features.
The Hong Kong Cinema Classics initiative focuses on the influential Hong Kong action films of the ’80s and ’90s, a period renowned for thrilling action choreography, distinctive visual styles and emotional storytelling. Many of these titles have been dormant and out-of-print for decades outside of Asia.
For this new line, Shout! Studios has collaborated with the Hong Kong Film Archives to remaster and restore numerous titles, scanning them in 4K from original camera negatives with restored video and audio, plus newly translated subtitles.
John Woo’s “Hard Boiled” (starring Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and Ringo Lam’s “City on Fire” (starring Chow Yun-Fat, Sun Yueh, and Danny Lee) will begin the digital rollout on June 24. July 8 brings John Woo’s “A Better Tomorrow” trilogy, followed by Tsui Hark’s “Peking Opera Blues” and John Woo’s “The Killer” on July 22. The digital releases continue with Tony Ching’s “A Chinese Ghost Story” trilogy on Aug. 5 and Woo’s “Bullet in the Head” on Aug. 19.
On the physical media front, “The Jet Li Collection” box set launches July 29, followed by Ringo Lam’s “City on Fire” on Aug. 26 and Tsui Hark’s “Peking Opera Blues” on Sept. 23, both as 4K UHD + Blu-ray combo packs. The series will be numbered for collectors, with the five Jet Li films designated as HKCC #1-5, “City on Fire” as HKCC #6, and “Peking Opera Blues” as HKCC #7.
Shout! Studios plans to continue releasing Hong Kong Cinema Classics in both digital and physical formats beyond these initial offerings.
