''Ip Man'' is a series of Hong Kong

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expression a ...

s loosely based on the life events of the

Wing Chun Wing Chun (Cantonese) or Yong Chun (Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin) (, lit. "singing spring") is a concept-based martial art, a form of Nanquan (martial art), Southern Chinese kung fu, and a close-quarters system of self-defense. It is a martial ...

master of the same name. The progenitor of the series was ''

Ip Man Ip Man (born Ip Kai-man; 1 October 1893 – 2 December 1972), also known as Yip Man, was a Chinese martial arts grandmaster. He became a teacher of the martial art of Wing Chun when he was 20. He had several students who later became martia ...

'' (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 Donnie Yen Chi-tan ( zh, c=甄子丹, p=Zhēn Zǐdān, j=, first=j; born 27 July 1963) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. He is the recipient of various accolades, including three Golden Horse Fi ...

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 conclude 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

master

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

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.

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 Foshan (, ; Chinese: 佛山) is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the Pearl River Delta m ...

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

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

on 25 March 2015, which Yip is again directing the film based on the script by Wong. Donnie Yen is again portraying the role of Ip Man, along with him

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

is also playing a role of a street fighter.

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...

'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 Danny Chan Pak-Keung (; 7 September 1958 – 25 October 1993) was a Hong Kong singer, songwriter and actor. One of the first Cantopop idols in Hong Kong, he gained fame alongside performers Alan Tam, Anita Mui, and Leslie Cheung, who wer ...

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 Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

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 The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. Donnie Yen also unveiled the poster for the film on his Instagram.

Recurring cast and characters

Reception

Box office

Critical response

Home media

''Ip Man Trilogy'', a

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

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 https://www Googlefinans.co= In filmmaking, behind-the-scenes (BTS), also known as the making-of, the set, or on the set, is a documentary film that features the production of a film or television program. This is often referred to as the EPK ( ...

" featurette and interviews with Donnie Yen and Mike Tyson.

References

{{Ip Man Cantonese-language films Action film series Depictions of Ip Man on film Film series introduced in 2008 Martial arts films Hong Kong film series Wing Chun films