Hollywood stands as the largest and most influential film industry in the world, a cultural engine whose box office hits are celebrated as global events. American blockbusters routinely dominate the conversation, becoming shared experiences for audiences across continents. However, the global film market is not a monolith, and many of the most successful and groundbreaking films originate from other countries, shattering expectations to become international legends. In 2025, for instance, the highest-grossing film worldwide is the Chinese animated sequel Ne Zha 2, one of the few movies to ever cross the $2 billion mark. As it turns out, 23 years ago, another Chinese film captivated the world and redefined the martial arts genre for a new generation.
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Released in 2002, Zhang Yimou’s Hero was a massive cinematic event. Upon its release in China, it became the highest-grossing film in the country’s history at the time. Two years later, after a significant delay, Miramax gave Hero a wide release in North America, where it debuted at number one at the box office and remained there for two weeks. This made Hero the first Chinese-language film to ever top the U.S. box office. The film ultimately grossed over $53.7 million in the United States and $177 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful non-English language films ever. Its success was not limited to the box office, as the film was a critical darling, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
How Hero Solidified Jet Li’s Legacy and Redefined Martial Arts Cinema
Hero arrived at a pivotal moment in Jet Li’s career, solidifying his status as a true international superstar. He had already made his Hollywood debut as a villain in 1998’s Lethal Weapon 4 and had leading roles in Romeo Must Die (2000) and Kiss of the Dragon (2001). However, Hero presented him as the anchor of a prestigious arthouse epic. The film, which was the most expensive Chinese movie ever made at the time, allowed him to showcase a nuanced performance as the protagonist, Nameless. Following the international success of Hero, Li would go on to star in a string of American-led productions, including Cradle 2 the Grave with DMX, but it was his role in Yimou’s masterpiece that cemented his legacy as a global icon capable of bridging the gap between martial arts action and high art.
The movie itself is a landmark of the wuxia genre and is widely regarded as a classic for its breathtaking visual style and innovative storytelling. The film’s narrative is famously structured like Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, presenting multiple accounts of the same events, with each version distinguished by a symbolic color palette. This narrative complexity, combined with the masterful cinematography of Christopher Doyle, elevated the film beyond a simple action movie into a philosophical meditation on themes of sacrifice, honor, and the nature of heroism. For these reasons, Hero deserves to be celebrated and is a film that demands to be more readily available on streaming platforms for a new generation to discover.
Currently, Hero is only available through Kanopy, although it can be rented and bought in multiple digital services.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
