The Way of the Dragon

Prior to release, the film's initial tight budget of US$130,000 was already covered by pre-sales in Taiwan alone. Upon release, the film earned HK$5,307,350.50 at the Hong Kong box office, beating previous records set by Lee's own films, The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, and making it the highest-grossing film of 1972 in Hong Kong. The Way of the Dragon went on to gross HK$5.4 million, making it the highest-grossing film ever in Hong Kong up until then. In the United States and Canada, the film received a wide release in August 1974, topping the North American box office charts. In New York City alone, the film opened with earnings of more than US$1,000,000 (equivalent to $6,500,000 in 2025) in its first five days. At Chicago's Oriental Theater, the film drew long queues before opening, setting an all-time theater record with 4,000 tickets sold within several hours of its opening. The film grossed $250,000 (equivalent to $1,600,000 in 2025) within two weeks of release at the Oriental Theater. At two other Chicago theaters in Black neighbourhoods, the film earned $185,000 (equivalent to $1,210,000 in 2025) in its opening week. At a number of theaters, the film drew loud cheers from Black audiences like a prizefight, particularly during the climactic fight where audiences cheered on Lee as he fought Chuck Norris. Within a month of its release, the film earned nearly $4,000,000 (equivalent to $26,000,000 in 2025) in the United States. The film earned $5,200,000 (equivalent to $34,000,000 in 2025) in US distributor rentals during its initial run. With later re-releases, the film went on to gross a total box office revenue of $85 million in the United States. In France, it became the eighth highest-grossing film of 1974 (below Enter the Dragon at #5 and above Fist of Fury at #12), with 4,002,004 ticket sales. In Spain, the film sold 2,345,259 tickets. In Germany, it was the 13th highest-grossing film of 1975, with 1.5 million ticket sales. In Japan, the film earned ¥772 million in distribution rentals, becoming the ninth highest-grossing film of 1975. In South Korea, the film sold 182,530 tickets in the capital city of Seoul. The film was also a commercial success in India when it released there in 1979. In one Bombay theater alone, New Excelsior, the film earned an estimated ₹1.204 million in its first eight weeks. Against the film's final budget of $130,000, the film initially grossed US$50,000,000 (equivalent to $360,000,000 in 2025) worldwide, before increasing its gross to $85 million and then $100,000,000 (equivalent to $650,000,000 in 2025) by 1974. It eventually grossed an estimated total of $130 million (equivalent to approximately $920 million adjusted for inflation), earning 1,000 times its budget. It was the highest-grossing Hong Kong film up until Lee's next film, Enter the Dragon (1973).