How much money did Bruce Lee make for his first kung fu film? Released in 1971 by director Lo Wei, The Big Boss was the first of four martial arts films Lee would make during his acting career. Due to the difficulties the actor had in getting roles in Hollywood, Lee spent years lobbying for film roles but did not become a star until he decided to make a name for himself in Hong Kong.
A starring role in ABC’s The Green Hornet as Kato wasn’t enough to get Lee the Hollywood attention he craved. Much to his disappointment, the role did not immediately lead to any larger film roles. Returning to Hong Kong, Lee made a fateful deal with Golden Harvest, a kung fu film studio.
Together with them, Lee starred in the films “The Big Boss”, “Fist of Fury” and “Way of the Dragon”. He also worked with them on Game of Death, but the martial arts legend died before filming was completed.
Lee was paid $7,500 to build his first combat vehicle. To some, this figure may seem incredibly low. And by Hollywood standards (even in that era), that certainly would have been the case. But in reality, it was much higher than what most actors in the Hong Kong industry were earning at the time. Lee’s $7,500 salary for “Big Boss” significantly eclipsed the salaries of all his co-stars, and it was not an amount that came easily to him. It took a lot of negotiations to get that amount from Golden Harvest.
Lee
negotiated a two-picture deal with the studio for $15,000. The first half was dedicated to Big Boss, and the second half was dedicated to Fist of Fury. The contract was signed immediately after negotiations with their competitor, Shaw Brothers. According to the book Bruce Lee: A Life by Matthew Polley, Lee agreed to work for the Shaw Brothers for $10,000, but the studio refused because his price was much higher than what they were paying other actors who were already big stars. However, his meeting with them bore fruit. This apparently led to a lucrative deal he made with Golden Harvest, who naturally wanted to keep him away from the Shaw Brothers.
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For the actor, the deal came at a time when money was desperately needed. His acting career was suffering, so he was willing to temporarily abandon his Hollywood plans for the Golden Harvest films. Lee felt that the lead role in “Bigg Boss” was necessary to further his career, and the success it brought proved that his decision was the right one. And soon the money he made from The Big Boss dwarfed what he made from Enter the Dragon, which turned Bruce Lee into Hollywood’s highest-paid Asian actor.