The Way of the Dragon (1972)

The Way of the Dragon (1972) was released in the United States in 1973, Bruce Lee was already something of a name in the United States. He had played Kato on the cult television series The Green Hornet, guest starred on shows like Ironside and Blondie, played Li Tsung on the TV series Longstreet, and appeared in the movie Marlowe (1969). Unhappy with only playing supporting roles in the United States, Bruce Lee went to Hong Kong where he got a deal with Golden Harvest. Afterwards he formed his own production company, Concord Production Inc..

The Way of the Dragon (1972) centred on Tang Lung, a martial artist from Hong Kong, who travels to Rome to help Chen Ching-hua (Nora Miao) and her Uncle Wang (Huang Chung-hsin) when they are terrorized by a gangster who wants their property. Among the highlights of the film was a fight in the Colosseum between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. 

It was in 1972 that Bruce Lee formed Concord Production Inc. with Raymond Chow, the co-founder of Golden Harvest. The responsibilities between Bruce Lee and Raymond Chow were divided equally, with Bruce Lee handling the creative ends of things and Raymond Chow handling the administrative end of the things. Golden Harvest distributed Concord's films. Because Bruce Lee had complete control of The Way of the Dragon (1972), He wrote and directed The Way of the Dragon, as well as starred in it. Bruce Lee also choreographed the fight scenes.

 Indoor shots were filmed at Golden Harvest's studios in Hong Kong, but many of the exteriors were filmed around Italy. While filming in Rome, Bruce Lee filmed many scenes using what would become known as "gorilla-style" shooting, with Bruce Lee not bothering to get the proper permits. Among the famous locations in and around Rome appearing in The Way of the Dragon are La Villa d'Este in Tivoli, Piazza Navona, Piazza Navona,Via Vittorio Veneto, and, of course, the Colosseum. Its budget was $130,000 in American dollars, which its pre-sales in Taiwan alone paid for. 

The Way of the Dragon (1972) was released in Hong Kong on December 30, 1972. In Hong Kong, it earned $5,307,350.50 in Hong Kong dollars, making Bruce Lee's highest grossing film in Hong Kong and the highest grossing flim in Hong Kong in 1972. It would go onto gross $4 million in Hong Kong dollars, making it the highest-grossing film ever in Hong Kong until that time. 

The Way of the Dragon (1972) was originally produced for the East Asian market, but circumstances would lead to its release in the West. Between the TV series Kung Fu (1972-1975) and the 1972 movie King Boxer, (re-titled 5 Fingers of Death in the United States),  a kung fu craze swept through the United States and elsewhere. With kung fu movies making big money in the American box office, it was quite natural for The Way of the Dragon (1972) to be released in the US. It was then in September 1973 that The Way of the Dragon (1972) was released under the title Return of the Dragon. It proved to be a smash hit in the United States just as it had in Hong Kong. In its first five days alone, it made $1 million .During its initial run, it earned $5,200,000. With re-releases, it would ultimately earn $85 million. Sadly, it would be the last of Bruce Lee's films to be released during his lifetime. .

The success of The Way of the Dragon (1972) would have an immediate impact. Warner Bros. decided to import more kung fu movies to the United States. It was also the success of The Way of the Dragon (1972) that also lead Warner Bros. to decide to co-produce Bruce Lee's next film, Enter the Dragon (1974). Perhaps its most lasting legacy was that it turned Bruce Lee from a well-known supporting player to an action movies superstar.  His death on July 20, 1973, and the posthumous release of Enter The Dragon (1974), turned him into a legend.