5 reasons why Louis Koo is Hong Kong’s GOAT: the city’s highest grossing actor made US$1.3 billion at the box office and got an Oscar nod for The Mitchells vs. The Machines
- As the lead in all five films in the Storm thriller series, Koo became the first actor in Hong Kong to earn a cumulative box office figure of US$1.3 billion – thanks to sales in China
- He started his career in TVB, was recognised by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts alongside Jacky Cheung, and once splurged US$6.4 million on flat with good feng shui
While his career has left him as one of Asia’s biggest film stars, his popularity was no fluke; he worked hard to earn all his successes. Let’s take a look at some of Koo’s biggest moments as one of Hong Kong’s most successful actors.
He recently became Hong Kong’s highest grossing actor … after 29 years
One of Koo’s biggest hits in recent years has been the five-part crime thriller series consisting of Z Storm, S Storm, L Storm, P Storm and G Storm. With the release of the fifth film on December 31 last year – six days before Hong Kong cinemas closed because of the pandemic – the film initially earned a box office of HK$6 million (around US$770,000), according to On. CC. However, when it was released in China, the film grossed around HK$730 million.
With Koo being part of all five films of the series, he became the first actor in Hong Kong to earn a cumulative box office figure of HK$10 billion. Fellow celebrities such as Chilam Cheung congratulated Koo on his achievement, saying that, “Koo is one of the actors I’ve worked with the most and I’ve seen his journey, and it was not easy”, according to Jayne Stars.
He gained a honorary fellowship for his contributions to Hong Kong’s film industry
Koo’s extensive film career started in the mid-90s and he’s become one of the most popular Hong Kong actors – not only with regular viewers, but also within academia!
Not only that, but the Hong Kong Arts Center even opened a cinema room named after Koo in 2018 to promote his outstanding work over the years.