Shout! Studios Announces Landmark Acquisition Of Golden Princess Movie Library

Shout! Studios, a multi-platform media company, has secured exclusive rights to the Golden Princess movie library, encompassing 156 highly sought-after classics from the golden age of Hong Kong cinema. Among these are many acclaimed and popular early works by world-renowned filmmakers John Woo and Tsui Hark and internationally renowned actors Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, and Leslie Cheung. This significant deal provides Shout! Studios with worldwide distribution rights, excluding select territories in Asia, to these celebrated films. The announcement was made today by Shout! Studios CEO Garson Foos, Jordan Fields, SVP of Acquisitions and Originals, David McIntosh, EVP of Business Affairs, and Dickson Lai, Executive Director of the Kowloon Development Company Ltd, the parent company of Golden Princess Amusement Co., Ltd.

Hong Kong cinema in the ’80s and ’90s, known for its thrilling action choreography, distinctive visual styles, and emotional storytelling, was a unique era in cinematic history. The crime thrillers and action films, in particular, have left an indelible mark on Hollywood, profoundly influencing everything from Quentin Tarantino's films to the iconic Matrix and John Wick series.

Prized hits from the Golden Princess film library include John Woo classics HARD BOILED (Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai), THE KILLER (Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee), A BETTER TOMORROW (Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat), A BETTER TOMORROW II (Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat), A BETTER TOMORROW III (Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Ka-fai), BULLET IN THE HEAD (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), and ONCE A THIEF (Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat, Cherie Chung); Ringo Lam’s CITY ON FIRE (Chow Yun-Fat, Sun Yueh, Danny Lee), PRISON ON FIRE (Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Ka-fai) and PRISON ON FIRE II (Chow Yun-Fat); and FULL CONTACT (Chow Yun-Fat); Eric Tsang’s ACES GO PLACES (Samuel Hui, Karl Maka, Sylvia Chang), Hark Tsui’s PEKING OPERA BLUES (Brigitte Lin, Sally Yeh, Cherie Chung), Tony Ching’s A CHINESE GHOST STORY (Leslie Cheung, Joey Wang), A CHINESE GHOST STORY II (Leslie Cheung, Joey Wang) and A CHINESE GHOST STORY III (Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Joey Wang); Sun Chung’s CITY WAR (Chow Yun-Fat), Wai Ka-Fai’s PEACE HOTEL (Chow Yun-Fat), Andrew Kam and Johnnie To’s THE BIG HEAT (Waise Lee), Alex Law’s NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON’T (Chow Yun-Fat), and other notable titles.

“This is a big one,” said Shout’s Jordan Fields. “Golden Princess sits alongside Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest in the pantheon of Hong Kong cinema, but unlike the other two, the Golden Princess library has been dormant for decades outside of Asia. Its fingerprints are all over modern action and crime genres, though, so we have big plans to reintroduce these fabled titles to the rest of the world, complementing Shout!’s growing catalog of revered Asian films.”

“The films in the Golden Princess Library are akin to the sword in the stone. Shout! is the entity capable of unlocking its potential. As an organization, we believe that the right partnership can unlock untapped potential and achieve legendary success,” said Dickson Lai.

The Golden Princess film library has been unavailable in North America and Europe for many years. This deal demonstrates Shout!’s exceptional ability to uncover and identify beloved gems and reintroduce them to the market and a new generation of movie enthusiasts. Shout! Studios leverages its unique strengths and strong partner relationships to explore opportunities for maximizing its movie content offerings across multiple screens. AVOD distribution rollout for the Golden Princess film library will include Shout! TV™, the digital entertainment streaming service operated by Shout! Studios, which brings timeless and contemporary cult favorites to pop culture fans. A hallmark of Shout! TV™ channels are programming stunts consisting of original programming, marathons, viewing events, celebrations, and more. Many of these celebrated Hong Kong cinema classics will receive the full Shout! TV™ treatment.

The Golden Princess movie library deal was negotiated for Shout! Studios by David Mcintosh, Jordan Fields, and Taylor Devorsky, and by Dickson Lai and Ronald Chu on behalf of Golden Princess Amusement Co., Ltd.