Shaw Brothers Studio

Run Run Shaw and his brother Runme launched their film empire on December 27, 1958 by merging separate ventures into a single production powerhouse. The company grew from its Shanghai roots to become the largest privately owned movie studio in the world at its peak. Between 1958 and 1985 the facility churned out approximately 1,000 films with an efficiency that stunned the global industry.

The brand defined the modern kung fu genre through titles like The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and Come Drink with Me. Its roster included legendary stars such as Jimmy Wang Yu and Ti Lung who became household names across Asia. The studio introduced ShawScope cinematography to create widescreen epics that set new visual standards for martial arts and historical dramas.

Movietown opened in Clearwater Bay on December 6, 1961 to house 25 departments and over 1,200 staff members. This massive complex allowed the studio to dominate distribution networks throughout Southeast Asia before television and competitors like Golden Harvest fragmented the market. Although original production ceased in 1985 the legacy survived through the establishment of Shaw Brothers Pictures International Limited in 2016. [edit]