Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon remains the most influential Chinese film in the global market, winning four Academy Awards and grossing $213 million worldwide—a record for a non-English-language film at the time. Ang Lee’s wuxia masterpiece elevated martial arts cinema through balletic wire-fu and a nuanced story of thwarted desire, with the iconic bamboo-forest fight choreographed over 10 takes. 30% longer than the average wuxia film in its pacing, it allowed character development to rival the action. However, its box office is dwarfed by #10, The Wandering Earth, which earned nearly $700 million.