Although martial arts movies still have their dedicated fan base, for the most part, the genre has had a disappointing decade at the box office. Only a handful of martial arts movies since 2012 have grossed over $50m worldwide. By contrast, between 2000 and 2011, Rush Hour 2, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Karate Kid, and the Kill Bill movies all grossed over $180m each.

However, the success of new martial arts movies like Everything Everywhere All At Once suggests that the genre might be gaining in popularity once again. Hopefully, this is the case, as these films can be incredibly fun when done well. The last decade's most successful films in the genre are acclaimed, entertaining, and worth a watch.

Updated on March 15, 2023, by Hannah Saab:

Everything Everywhere All at Once dominated the 95th Academy Awards and took home a whopping seven Oscars after (out of eleven nominations), solidifying the A24 movie's place as a historic international hit and one of the best martial arts movies of all time. Aside from winning Best Picture, it also received Oscars for Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh), Best Director (the Daniels), Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan), Best Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing.

10 'Master Z: Ip Man Legacy' (2019)

Movie still of Master Z

Gross: $21,832,649

Master Z is a spin-off of the Ip Man series, which dramatizes the life of the Wing Chun master who mentored Bruce Lee. The film follows Cheung Tin-chi (Max Zhang), a character from Ip Man 3, as he becomes a mercenary and takes on corruption in Hong Kong.

While definitely not the best in the Ip Man saga, Master Z is a fast-paced action story with decent performances from Dave Bautista, Zhang and Michelle Yeoh. The fight scenes remain top-notch. Fans of the other movies in the franchise are sure to enjoy it.

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9 'The Grandmaster' (2013)

the-grandmaster-tony-leung
Image via Lark Films Distribution

Gross: $73,933,046

The Grandmaster is yet another take on the life of Ip Man. It is one of director Wong Kar-wai's best films, though he's also known for crime dramas As Tears Go By and Chungking Express, as well as the romantic drama In the Mood for Love. But The Grandmaster has more of a focus on character and historical setting than fight scenes.

The film chronicles Ip's (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) conflict with other martial arts masters who have different ideas, and the disruption to his life caused by the outbreak of war between Japan and China, followed by World War II. Ip travels to Hong Kong, but then the government closes the border with the mainland, separating him from his wife (Song Hye-kyo). The Grandmaster documents these personal struggles in the years leading up to Ip's first encounter with a young Bruce Lee.

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8 'Mortal Kombat' (2021)

Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat
Image via New Line Cinema

Gross: $84,426,031

The Mortal Kombat games were among the most popular and influential fighter games of the 1990s. However, adapting them for the screen has proven tricky. Filmed in Australia, 2021's Mortal Kombat is a reboot of the cinematic franchise following the disastrous Mortal Kombat: Annihilation released 1997.

It follows young man Cole (Lewis Tan) as he is hunted by the assassin Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim). Fortunately, the film mostly delivers, with solid fight scenes and great character design. While not beloved by critics, Mortal Kombat was a commercial success and a sequel is currently in development.

Watch on HBO Max

7 'Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings' (2018)

Movie still of of Detective Dee

Gross: $90,040,771

The Four Heavenly Kings is the third installment in the Detective Dee series, which began with 2010's Mystery of the Phantom Flame. The series follows the exploits of a famed government official tasked by the Empress with solving a series of murders. In The Four Heavenly Kings, the young yet talented movie detective Dee (Mark Chao) finds himself falsely accused of several crimes. He has to clear his name and bring the real perpetrators to justice.

The Detective Dee films are directed by Tsui Hark, a veteran of Hong Kong cinema. Tsui produced classic action movies including A Chinese Ghost Story and John Woo's A Better Tomorrow. The Detective Dee movies don't rise to the heights of those films, but they are still entertaining and well-made. The first movie in the franchise was especially well-reviewed, with TIME magazine even naming it one of the best films of 2011.

Watch on Prime Video

6 'Shadow' (2018)

Movie still of Shadow

Gross: $91,708,374

Shadow is a must-see wuxia movie from Chinese director Zhang Yimou, who also helmed 2004's House of Flying Daggers. It follows Commander Ziyu in the court of King Pei who secretly trains the warrior Jingzhou to serve as his body double, or "shadow." The commander needs this doppelganger in his scheme to retake a legendary city, despite the protestations of the king.

Deng Chao deserves praise for his performance as both Commander Ziyu and Jingzhou. The cinematography and set design are also excellent and immersive. While the film was shot in color, most of the sets and costumes were made to be black-and-white, to give Shadow the look of a Chinese ink painting.

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5 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' (2022)

Michelle Yeoh doing martial-arts in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'
Image via A24

Gross: $106,700,036

One of 2022's surprise breakout movies, and certainly A24's best comedy film, is the absurdist comedy-drama-fantasy-action Everything Everywhere All At Once, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. Action icon and now Oscar-winning actor Michelle Yeoh plays Evelyn Wang, a Chinese American immigrant who must save the multiverse while her laundromat is being audited by the IRS.

Everything Everywhere All At Once boasts gorgeous cinematography, plenty of wacky ideas, and a series of epic fight sequences. It drew overwhelmingly positive reviews and surpassed 2018's Hereditary as A24's most commercially successful film. With seven Oscars and a massive global fanbase, it has undoubtedly left its mark on cinematic history and should be considered essential viewing for fans of the genre.

Watch on Showtime

4 '47 Ronin' (2013)

Keanu Reeves in 47 Ronin
Image via Universal Pictures

Gross: $151,783,839

Keanu Reeves stars in 47 Ronin, a fantasy film about a group of masterless samurai in 18th-century Japan. It's loosely inspired by a Japanese tale but bears little resemblance to actual historical events. The film received mostly negative reviews and, despite the relatively large gross, made a loss against a budget of over $175m.

47 Ronin boasts some interesting ideas but never quite rises to become the samurai Lord of the Rings it aspired to be, and Reeves' solid performance can't make up for all the goofiness. Netflix released a sequel, Blade of the 47 Ronin, which, unfortunately, isn't much better than the 2013 movie.

Watch on HBO Max

3 'Ip Man 3' (2015)

Movie still of IP Man 3

Gross: $157,029,618

The Ip Man films are undoubtedly the landmark martial arts series of the 2010s, raking in big returns at the box office alongside positive reviews. The third entry in the saga follows Ip Man (Donnie Yen) as he confronts a crew of gangsters intent on taking over a local school.

While not as good as the first two, Ip Man 3 is worth it just for Yen's performance. He is calm, restrained, and thoughtful. Much of the story centers on his relationships with his wife (Lynn Hung) and fellow grandmaster Cheung Tin-chi, which makes for a refreshing change of pace.

Watch on Netflix

2 'Ip Man 4: The Finale' (2019)

Movie still of IP Man 4

Gross: $176,345,966

The final installment in the tale of Ip Man takes place in the 1960s and follows the grandmaster as he travels to the USA, where his pupil Bruce Lee has caused a stir by opening a martial arts school in San Francisco. At the same time, Ip deals with his recent throat cancer diagnosis and his strained relationship with his son (Ye He).

Ip Man 4 is a fitting send-off for the martial arts icon, which wraps up most loose ends and explores how the legendary Bruce Lee takes over the Wing Chun mantle. As usual, director Wilson Yip handles the story with style and flair.

Watch on Netflix

1 'Kung Fu Yoga' (2017)

Movie still of Kung Fu Yoga

Gross: $257,753,889

Jackie Chan plays Jack, an archeologist who finds lost treasure in Tibet in one of the most popular, even if it isn't among the best, new kung fu movies. However, a crew of mercenaries steals the diamond-encrusted artifact and puts it up for auction. Jack sets out on a wild mission to retrieve the artifact, and discovers that there may be more to the treasure than he realized.

Kung Fu Yoga is an action comedy that plays to Chan's strengths, breezily transporting the audience from one exotic locale to the next. It received mixed reviews but was a box office smash in China, becoming Chan's highest-grossing film in the country.

Watch on Prime Video

NEXT: Martial Arts Movies To Watch On Netflix After 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'