Enter the Dragon

Lee, a martial artist and instructor from Shaolin temple, Hong Kong, is approached by British intelligence agent Braithwaite, who asks for his help in an undercover mission to investigate suspected crime lord Han, who was one of the students in Shaolin temple. Lee is persuaded to attend a high-profile martial arts tournament on Han's private island to gather evidence that will prove Han's involvement in drug trafficking and prostitution.

Since Han's island is only partly in their jurisdiction, they are unable to conduct any formal investigations. Han does not allow firearms on the island to prevent assassination attempts and raids from international authorities. He runs a martial arts school as cover for his illegal operations and holds the tournament to recruit martial artists to expand his illegal business. Lee agrees to help Braithwaite, believing his efforts will also redeem the honor of the Shaolin temple that was tarnished by Han. Shortly before his departure, Lee also learns that Han's bodyguard O'Hara is responsible for the death of his sister Su Lin.

Lee arrives on Han's island and receives a warm reception. Joining him are other competitors, including Roper, an American playboy and gambler, who is indebted and on the run from the mob, and Williams, an African-American activist, who is on the run after defending himself against two racist police officers in Los Angeles. Roper and Williams are former Karate brothers and fellow Vietnam veterans, who also have a betting scam going: one will underperform until the other can get a bet on the outcome at good odds. Roper and Williams win their first fights easily.

The rules of Han's tournament are simple: competitors compete in one-on-one matches against each other, the opponent, who gets knocked to the ground loses each round. Any weapons are strictly prohibited in the fighting arena. At the end of the first day, the competitors are all offered girls of their choice by Han's assistant Tania. Williams chooses several women, while Roper cunningly chooses Tania as a mutual attraction grows between them. Lee chooses a girl, which he saw in Han's entourage, who is Mei Ling, a covert agent whom Braithwaite had placed on the island to gather intelligence. However, Mei Ling has been unable to escape Han's strict observation never to leave their rooms.

That night, Lee begins to stealthily search and infiltrate the island for evidence and finds a secret entrance to an underground compound base where drugs are being manufactured and tested on unwitting prisoners. Lee runs into Han's guards, but manages to take them down and flee before they can identify him. Lee is seen by Williams, who is outside for some fresh air and practice, despite strict rules against being outside after night. The next morning, Han warns the competitors about wandering out of their rooms at night. Han punishes his guards for their inability to fulfill their duties by leaving them to be killed by Bolo, Han's musclebound enforcer and chief bodyguard. After the execution, the competition resumes as Lee is called to his first match, which is against O'Hara.

During the fight, Han warns O'Hara to step down as Lee keeps outclassing him in a humiliating fashion. Lee kills O'Hara with a stomp after he tries to attack him with a pair of half-shattered glass bottles, thus avenging Su Lin's death. An embarrassed Han abruptly ends the day's competition after stating that O'Hara's treachery has disgraced them. Later, Han summons Williams in his office and accuses him of attacking the guards the previous night. Williams denies this and requests to leave the island, so Han brutally beats him to death with his iron prosthetic left hand.

Han takes Roper on a tour of his underground base and invites him to be his representative for his illegal operations in the United States. Han also implicitly threatens to imprison Roper with other martial artists who joined Han's tournaments in the past. Roper reluctantly accepts after Han drops the brutalized corpse of Williams into a pit of acid, hinting that Roper will face the same fate if he refuses to cooperate. The same night, Lee infiltrates the underground base again to gather sufficient evidence to warrant Han's arrest and manages to send a message to Braithwaite. After a prolonged battle with Han's guards, Lee is eventually lured into a door trap to get imprisoned and captured.

The next morning, Han commands Roper to fight Lee, but Roper refuses and Han has him fight Bolo. Roper manages to overpower and beat Bolo after a gruelling battle. Han orders all his men to kill Lee and Roper. Despite facing insurmountable odds, the island's prisoners, released by Mei Ling, and the other invited martial artists aid Lee and Roper in defeating Han's guards. Amid the chaos, Han attempts to fight his way out to escape, only to have Lee pursue and corner him in his museum, where Han retrieves a bladed-talon replacement for his hand to prepare for a brutal fight. Han retreats into a room full of mirrors, which proves disorientating for Lee until Lee keeps remembers his lessons at the Shaolin Temple and smashes all the mirrors to spoil Han's illusions. Lee kicks Han, who gets impaled on his own spear that was halfway harpooned through a wall.

Lee returns to Roper and they exchange a weary thumbs-up as the military finally arrives to take control of the island.

• Bruce Lee as Lee
• John Saxon as Roper
• Jim Kelly as Williams{{cite news|url= https://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/10/entertainment/la-ca-secondlook10-2010jan10/2|title= DVD set is devoted to '70s martial arts star Jim Kelly |newspaper= Los Angeles Times |date= 10 January 2010|access-date=28 January 2011 | first=Steve | last=Ryfle|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180715233633/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/10/entertainment/la-ca-secondlook10-2010jan10/2 |archive-date= 15 July 2018 }}
• Ahna Capri as Tania, Han's secretary{{cite news |title=Car Accident Claims Ahna Capri |publisher=Inside Kung Fu |url=http://www.insidekung-fu.com/content/view/212/37/ |access-date=10 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311115341/http://www.insidekung-fu.com/content/view/212/37 |archive-date=11 March 2011 | first=Dave | last=Cater }}
• Shih Kien as Han (voice dubbed by Keye Luke){{cite news|title= Lee's Dragon co-star dies at 96|publisher= BBC|date= 5 June 2009|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8085659.stm|access-date= 31 January 2011|archive-date= 8 June 2009|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090608142504/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8085659.stm|url-status= live}}
• Bob Wall as O'Hara, Han's bodyguard{{cite news|title= Bob Wall Interview: "Pulling No Punches"|publisher= Black Belt|url= http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/564|access-date=2 December 2010|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101220214509/http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/564|archive-date= 20 December 2010}}
• Angela Mao Ying as Su-lin, Lee's sister
• Betty Chung as Mei-ling, an undercover operative
• Geoffrey Weeks as Braithwaite, a British Intelligence agent
• Yang Sze as Bolo, Han's enforcer
• Peter Archer as Parsons, an arrogant New Zealand martial artist and Williams' opponent
• Tony Liu as Liu, Roper's opponent

• Sammo Hung as Lee's opponent (credited as Sammo Hung Kam-po)
• Jackie Chan (uncredited) as a minor henchman
• Yuen Wah (uncredited) as a tournament fighter{{efn|Yuen Wah also a stuntman and doubling for Bruce Lee in acrobatics.}}
• Yuen Biao (uncredited) as a tournament fighter
• Roy Chiao (uncredited) as the Shaolin abbot
• Pat E. Johnson (uncredited) as a thug on golf course

Due to the success of his earlier films, Warner Bros. began helping Bruce Lee with the film in 1972. They brought in producers Fred Weintraub and Paul Heller.{{cite book|title=Distinguished Asian Americans: A Biographical Dictionary|first=Hyung-chan|last=Kim|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1999|isbn=9780313289026|page=[https://archive.org/details/distinguishedasi00kimh/page/179 179]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/distinguishedasi00kimh/page/179}} The film was produced on a tight production budget of $850,000.{{cite book |last1=Polly |first1=Matthew |title=Bruce Lee: A Life |date=2019 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-5011-8763-6 |page=478 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5bGWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA478 |quote=Enter the Dragon struck a responsive chord across the globe. Made for a minuscule $850,000, it would gross $90 million worldwide in 1973 and go on to earn an estimated $350 million over the next forty-five years. |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=20 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620092030/https://books.google.com/books?id=5bGWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA478 |url-status=live }} Fighting sequences were staged by Bruce Lee.{{cite book |title=Enter the dragon |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/39222462 |via=WorldCat |oclc=39222462 |access-date=4 September 2022 |archive-date=5 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305220723/https://search.worldcat.org/title/39222462 |url-status=live }}

The screenplay title was originally named Blood and Steel. The story features heroic protagonists who are Asian, White, and Black, as the producers wanted a film that would appeal to the widest possible international audience.{{cite book|first=Brian |last=Locke|title=Racial Stigma on the Hollywood Screen from World War II to the Present: The Orientalist Buddy Film|publisher=Springer|year= 2009|isbn= 9780230101678 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CU9rAQAAQBAJ&q=peter+archer+enter+the+dragon&pg=PA71 71]}} The scene in which Lee states that his style is "Fighting Without Fighting" is based upon a famous anecdote involving the 16th century samurai Tsukahara Bokuden.{{cite web|last=Brockett|first=Kip|date=12 August 2007|title=Bruce Lee Said What? 'Finding the Truth in Bruce Lee's Writings'|url=http://www.martialdirect.com/articles/bruceleept1.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170725232300/http://www.martialdirect.com/articles/bruceleept1.htm|archive-date=25 July 2017|work=Martialdirect.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nineblue.com/kids/news_details.aspx?user_id=31|title=Bully Busters Art of Fighting without Fighting|date=12 August 2007|work=Nineblue.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080111103938/http://www.nineblue.com/kids/news_details.aspx?user_id=31|archive-date=11 January 2008|url-status=dead}}

Rod Taylor was first choice for playing the down-on-his-luck martial artist Roper. Director Robert Clouse had already worked with Taylor in the 1970 film Darker than Amber. However, Taylor was dropped after Bruce Lee deemed him to be too tall for the role.{{cite web|url=https://www.wingchunnews.ca/john-saxon-enter-the-dragon-star-dies-at-83/|title=John Saxon, 'Enter the Dragon' Star, Dies At 83|website=www.wingchunnews.ca|date=26 July 2020|access-date=5 January 2022|archive-date=5 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205173809/https://www.wingchunnews.ca/john-saxon-enter-the-dragon-star-dies-at-83/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cityonfire.com/commentary/etd.mp3|title=City On Fire (audio commentatary)|access-date=5 January 2022|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170453/http://www.cityonfire.com/commentary/etd.mp3|url-status=live}} John Saxon, who was a black belt in Judo and Shotokan Karate (he studied under grandmaster Hidetaka Nishiyama for three years),{{cite journal|date=April 1973|title=New Bruce Lee Film on its way to American movie theatres|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ndcDAAAAMBAJ|journal=Black Belt magazine|volume=11|pages=11–12|number=4|access-date=28 September 2020|archive-date=1 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501231102/https://books.google.com/books?id=ndcDAAAAMBAJ|url-status=live}} became the preferred choice.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNcDAAAAMBAJ&q=The+Growth+of+Judo+and+Karate+Declining+in+the+US&pg=PA4|title=Black Belt|first=|last= |date=1 August 1973|publisher=Active Interest Media|access-date=3 January 2018|via=Google Books|archive-date=1 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501231041/https://books.google.com/books?id=TNcDAAAAMBAJ&q=The+Growth+of+Judo+and+Karate+Declining+in+the+US&pg=PA4|url-status=live}} During contractual negotiations, Saxon's agent told the film's producers that if they wanted him they would have to change the plot so that the character of Williams is killed instead of Roper. They agreed and the script was changed.{{cite book|title=Reflections on Blaxploitation: Actors and Directors Speak|last=Walker|first=David, Andrew J. Rausch, Chris Watson|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year= 2009|isbn=9780810867062|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=LofIsZJPfEcC&q=john+saxon+enter+the+dragon&pg=PA112 112]}} In a six decade career, the character would become one of Saxon's best known roles.{{cite news|url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/john-saxon-best-known-for-his-roles-in-enter-the-dragon-a-nightmare-on-elm-street-dies-at-83-8644151.html|title=John Saxon, best known for his roles in Enter the Dragon, A Nightmare on Elm Street, dies at 83|publisher=www.firstpost.com|date=27 July 2020|access-date=5 January 2022|archive-date=5 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105112720/https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/john-saxon-best-known-for-his-roles-in-enter-the-dragon-a-nightmare-on-elm-street-dies-at-83-8644151.html|url-status=live}}

Rockne Tarkington was originally cast in the role of Williams. However, he unexpectedly dropped out days before the production was about to begin in Hong Kong. Producer Fred Weintraub knew that karate world champion Jim Kelly had a training dojo in Crenshaw, Los Angeles, so he hastily arranged a meeting. Weintraub was immediately impressed, and Kelly was cast in the film.{{citation|last=Horn|first=John|title=Jim Kelly, 'Enter the Dragon' star, dies at 67|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=1 July 2013|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-jim-kelly-enter-the-dragon-star-dies-20130701,0,852055.story|access-date=19 August 2015|archive-date=22 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422061104/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-jim-kelly-enter-the-dragon-star-dies-20130701,0,852055.story|url-status=live}} The success of Kelly's appearance launched his career as a star: after Enter the Dragon, he signed a three-film deal with Warner Bros{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-c8DAAAAMBAJ&q=black+belt+may+1992+p+18&pg=PA22|title=Black Belt Magazine|last=Clary|first=David|date=May 1992|publisher=Active Interest Media, Inc.|pages=18–21|access-date=10 November 2020|archive-date=1 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501231027/https://books.google.com/books?id=-c8DAAAAMBAJ&q=black+belt+may+1992+p+18&pg=PA22|url-status=live}} and went on to make several martial arts-themed blaxploitation films in the 1970s.Reflections on Blaxploitation: Actors and Directors Speak, 2009. pps.[https://books.google.com/books?id=LofIsZJPfEcC&q=jim+kelly+&pg=PA129 129–130] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007111549/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=LofIsZJPfEcC&lpg=PR1&pg=PA129#v=onepage&q=jim%20kelly%20 |date=7 October 2018 }}

Jackie Chan has uncredited roles as various guards during the fights with Lee. However, Yuen Wah was Lee's main stunt double for the film, responsible for the gymnastics stunts such as the cartwheels and jumping back flip in the opening fight.{{Cite web|url=http://ringtalk.com/those-amazing-bruce-lee-film-stunts|title=Those Amazing Bruce Lee Film Stunts|last=Boutwell|first=Malcolm|date=7 July 2015|website=ringtalk.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151130210705/http://ringtalk.com/those-amazing-bruce-lee-film-stunts|archive-date=30 November 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=29 September 2016}}

Sammo Hung also has an uncredited role in the opening fight scene against Lee at the start of the film.{{Cite web |url=https://blackbeltmag.com/bruce-lee-enter-the-dragon |title=Bruce Lee Movies: Enter the Dragon, Seen Through the Eyes of a Martial Arts Movies Expert |date=13 May 2013 |access-date=17 January 2021 |archive-date=21 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121053241/https://blackbeltmag.com/bruce-lee-enter-the-dragon |url-status=live }}

A rumour surrounding the making of Enter The Dragon claims that actor Bob Wall did not like Bruce Lee and that their fight scenes were not choreographed. However, Wall has denied this, stating he and Lee were good friends.{{cite web|url=http://www.cityonfire.com/feature-bob-wall-interview/|title=Bob Wall Interview|last=Bona|first=JJ|date=10 January 2011|website=Cityonfire|publisher=cityonfire.com|access-date=22 March 2018|archive-date=22 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322210358/http://cityonfire.com/feature-bob-wall-interview/|url-status=live}}

The film was shot on location in Hong Kong. In keeping with local film-making practices, scenes were filmed without sound: dialogue and sound effects were added or dubbed in during post-production. Bruce Lee, after he had been goaded or challenged, fought several real fights with the film's extras and some set intruders during filming.{{cite book|title=Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit|first=Bruce|last= Thomas|publisher=Pan Macmillan|year= 2008|isbn=9780283070662|page=300}} The scenes on Han's Island were filmed at a residence known as Palm Villa near the coastal town of Stanley.{{cite web|url=http://www.filmapia.com/where-is-it-shot/films/enter-the-dragon|title=Enter the Dragon Movie Shooting Locations|publisher=filmapia.com|access-date=24 March 2018|archive-date=25 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325050214/http://www.filmapia.com/where-is-it-shot/films/enter-the-dragon|url-status=live}} The villa is now demolished and the area heavily redeveloped around Tai Tam Bay where the martial artists were filmed coming ashore.{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/@22.2290867,114.2190769,3a,82.6y,282.67h,89.5t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipM4rkhV9EDx6QDj_-8MoA3zNfiLbCO4mlEl__42!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipM4rkhV9EDx6QDj_-8MoA3zNfiLbCO4mlEl__42%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi0-ya307.86285-ro-0-fo100!7i10240!8i5120|title=Google Maps|website=Google Maps|access-date=5 January 2022|archive-date=5 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305220641/https://www.google.com/maps/@22.2290867,114.2190769,3a,82.6y,282.67h,89.5t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipM4rkhV9EDx6QDj_-8MoA3zNfiLbCO4mlEl__42!2e10!3e11!6shttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipM4rkhV9EDx6QDj_-8MoA3zNfiLbCO4mlEl__42%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi0-ya307.86285-ro-0-fo100!7i10240!8i5120?shorturl=1|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/page.asp?aid=326&page=12|title=Enter The Dragon / 龍爭虎鬥 (1973 / Dir: Robert Clouse)|website=www.hkcinemagic.com|date=18 September 2011|access-date=5 January 2022|archive-date=5 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105143834/http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/page.asp?aid=326&page=12|url-status=live}}

{{further|Enter the Dragon (soundtrack)}}

Argentinian musician Lalo Schifrin composed the film's musical score. While Schifrin was widely known at the time for his jazz scores, he also incorporated funk and traditional film score elements into the film's soundtrack.{{cite web|last=Guarisco|first=Donald|title=Lalo Schifrin: Enter the Dragon [Music from the Motion Picture] – Review|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/lalo-schifrin-enter-the-dragon-music-from-the-motion-picture-mw0000458280|website=All Music Guide|access-date=17 November 2012|archive-date=26 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726032025/http://www.allmusic.com/album/lalo-schifrin-enter-the-dragon-music-from-the-motion-picture-mw0000458280|url-status=live}} He composed the score by sampling sounds from China, Korea, and Japan. The soundtrack has sold over 500,000 copies, earning a gold record.

Enter the Dragon was heavily advertised in the United States before its release. The budget for advertising was over {{US$|1 million|link=yes}}. It was unlike any promotional campaign that had been seen before, and was extremely comprehensive. To advertise the film, the studio offered free Karate classes, produced thousands of illustrated flip books, comic books, posters, photographs, and organised dozens of news releases, interviews, and public appearances for the stars. Esquire, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and Newsweek all wrote stories on the film.{{Cite journal|last=Peirano|first=Pierre-François|date=22 April 2013|title=The Multiple Facets of Enter the Dragon (Robert Clouse, 1973)|url=http://inmedia.revues.org/613|journal=InMedia. The French Journal of Media and Media Representations in the English-Speaking World|issue=3|doi=10.4000/inmedia.613|issn=2259-4728|doi-access=free|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-date=13 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513143215/http://inmedia.revues.org/613|url-status=live}}

Enter the Dragon was one of the most successful films of 1973. Upon release in Hong Kong, the film grossed {{HK$|3,307,536|link=yes}},{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070034/ |title=Enter The Dragon (1973) |publisher=IMDb |access-date=8 June 2015 |archive-date=5 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105190943/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070034/business |url-status=live }} which was huge business for the time, but less than Lee's previous 1972 films Fist of Fury and The Way of the Dragon.

In North America, the film was receiving offers of {{US$|500,000|year=1973|round=-5}} from American distributors by April 1973 for the distribution rights, several months before release.{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Dan |title=Newest Movie Craze: Chinese Agents |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/lima-news-apr-22-1973-p-30/ |access-date=15 April 2022 |work=Lima News |via=NewspaperArchive |date=22 April 1973 |page=30 |url-access=subscription |quote=Warner Brothers has just released one called "The Five Fingers of Death" and, with Fred Weintraub as producer, is now involved in the first American-Chinese production of a martial-science picture, a film that stars Bruce (Kato) Lee (...) "Enter the Dragon," is budgeted at {{US$|1 million|long=no}}. The first two pictures grossed more than {{US$|5 million|long=no}} in Southeast Asia alone, according to Weintraub. He also said American distributors are offering as much as $500,000 in advance for distribution rights. |archive-date=15 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415055618/https://newspaperarchive.com/lima-news-apr-22-1973-p-30/ |url-status=live }} Upon its limited release in August 1973 in four theatres in New York, the film entered the weekly box office charts at number 17 with a gross of {{US$|140,010|long=no|year=1973|round=-4}} in 3 days.{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=50 Top-Grossing Films|date=29 August 1973|page=9}}{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=3 Days, 4 Sites, 'Dragon', $140,010|date=22 August 1973|page=8}} Upon its expansion the following week, it topped the charts for two weeks.{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=50 Top-Grossing Films|date=12 September 1973|page=13}} Over the next four weeks, it remained in the top 10 while competing with other kung fu films, including Lady Kung Fu, The Shanghai Killers and Deadly China Doll which held the top spot for one week each.{{cite book |last1=Desser |first1=David |chapter=The Kung Fu Craze: Hong Kong Cinema's First American Reception |editor-last1=Fu |editor-first1=Poshek |editor-last2=Desser |editor-first2=David |title=The Cinema of Hong Kong: History, Arts, Identity |date=2002 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-77602-8 |pages=19–43 (34) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sELZJ5vihJUC&pg=PA34 |access-date=9 June 2020 |archive-date=21 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621212426/https://books.google.com/books?id=sELZJ5vihJUC&pg=PA34 |url-status=live }}

In October, Enter the Dragon regained the top spot in its eighth week. It sold {{nowrap|14.1 million}} tickets{{cite web |title=«Выход Дракона» (Enter the Dragon, 1973) - Dates |url=https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/24743/dates/ |website=Kinopoisk |language=ru |access-date=7 April 2022 |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404071403/https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/24743/dates/ |url-status=live }} and grossed {{US$|25,000,000|long=no|year=1973|round=-7}} from its initial US release, making it the year's fourth highest-grossing film in the market.{{cite book |last1=Eliot |first1=Marc |title=Steve McQueen: A Biography |date=2011 |publisher=Aurum Press |isbn=978-1-84513-744-1 |pages=237, 242 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DzdsAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT242 |quote=Papillon earned nearly $55 million in its initial domestic release, making it the third-highest-grossing film of the year. (...) Robert Clouse's Enter the Dragon, starring the late Bruce Lee, came in fourth, with $25 million. |access-date=10 June 2020 |archive-date=10 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610101337/https://books.google.com/books?id=DzdsAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT242 |url-status=live }} It was repeatedly re-released throughout the 1970s, with each re-release entering the top five in the box office charts.{{cite book |last1=Polly |first1=Matthew |title=Bruce Lee: A Life |date=2019 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-5011-8763-6 |page=479 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5bGWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA479 |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=20 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620162315/https://books.google.com/books?id=5bGWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA479 |url-status=live }} The film's US gross had increased to {{US$|100 million|long=no}} by 1982,{{cite book |last1=Lent |first1=John A. |title=The Asian Film Industry |date=1990 |publisher=Helm |isbn=978-0-7470-2000-4 |page=100 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ogVlAAAAMAAJ |quote=The Lee film, Enter the Dragon, was made with Warner; it grossed US $100 million in the United States alone (Sun 1982: 40). |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608191943/https://books.google.com/books?id=ogVlAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last1=Mennel |first1=Barbara |title=Cities and Cinema |date=2008 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-21984-1 |page=87 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pQB3MembWe8C&pg=PA87 |quote=Golden Harvest took on Bruce Lee and began co-producing with Hollywood companies, leading to its kung-fu action films, including the Bruce Lee vehicle Enter the Dragon (dir. Robert Clouse, 1973), which “grossed US $100 million in the United States alone” (Lent 100; also Sun 1982:40). |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608191945/https://books.google.com/books?id=pQB3MembWe8C&pg=PA87 |url-status=live }} and more than {{US$|120 million|long=no}} (equivalent to ${{#expr:{{inflation|US|25|1973}}+{{inflation|US|75|1974}}+{{inflation|US|20|1982}} round -1}} million adjusted for inflation) by 1998.{{cite news |last1=Gaul |first1=Lou |title=Actor Bruce Lee's life celebrated in special video edition |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/doylestown-intelligencer-jul-20-1998-p-28/ |access-date=15 April 2022 |work=Doylestown Intelligencer |via=NewspaperArchive |date=20 July 1998 |page=28 |url-access=subscription |quote=The $550,000 picture – a modest budget even by 1973 standards – has grossed more than {{US$|120 million|long=no}} during its initial run and re-release engagements in America and has never aired on network television. |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404071403/https://newspaperarchive.com/doylestown-intelligencer-jul-20-1998-p-28/ |url-status=live }}

In Europe, the film initially monopolised several London West End cinemas for five weeks, before becoming a sellout success across Britain and the rest of Europe.{{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Bruce |title=Bruce Lee, Fighting Spirit: A Biography |date=1994 |publisher=Frog Books |location=Berkeley, California |isbn=9781883319250 |url-access=registration |page=247 |url=https://archive.org/details/bruceleefighting0000thom_d0z5/page/247 |quote=A month after Bruce's death, Enter the Dragon was released. During its first seven weeks in the United States it grossed {{US$|3 million|long=no}}. In London it monopolized three West End cinemas for five weeks before becoming a sellout throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. The film went on to gross over {{US$|200 million|long=no}}, the ratio of cost to profit making it perhaps the most commercially successful film ever made.}} In England, it grossed over $2.5 million.{{cite magazine|magazine=Daily Variety|date=16 April 1974|page=1|title='Dragon' Pulling Big Foreign Coin For WB}} In Spain, it was the seventh top-grossing film of 1973,{{cite web |last1=Soyer |first1=Renaud |title=Box Office International 1973 |url=http://www.boxofficestory.com/monde-1973-c25608070 |website=Box Office Story |date=22 April 2014 |language=fr |access-date=30 June 2020 |archive-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629233751/http://www.boxofficestory.com/monde-1973-c25608070 |url-status=live }} selling 2,462,489 tickets.{{cite web |last1=Soyer |first1=Renaud |title=Bruce Lee Box Office |url=http://www.boxofficestory.com/box-office-bruce-lee-c23465174 |website=Box Office Story |date=28 January 2013 |language=fr |access-date=30 June 2020 |archive-date=1 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501231103/http://www.boxofficestory.com/box-office-bruce-lee-c23465174 |url-status=live }} In France, it was one of the top five highest-grossing films of 1974 (above two other Lee films, The Way of the Dragon at {{nowrap|number 8}} and Fist of Fury at {{nowrap|number 12}}), with 4,444,582 ticket sales.{{cite web|url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/charts_france.php?filtre=datefr&variable=1974|title=Charts – LES ENTREES EN FRANCE|year=1974|website=JP's Box-Office|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327161544/http://www.jpbox-office.com/charts_france.php?filtre=datefr&variable=1974|archive-date=27 March 2019|url-status=live|access-date=27 November 2018}} In Germany, it was one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of 1974, with {{nowrap|1.7 million}} ticket sales.{{cite web|url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/charts_allemagne.php?filtre=dateall&variable=1974|title=Charts – LES ENTREES EN ALLEMAGNE|year=1974|website=JP's Box-Office|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327162101/http://www.jpbox-office.com/charts_allemagne.php?filtre=dateall&variable=1974|archive-date=27 March 2019|url-status=live|access-date=27 November 2018}} In Greece, the film earned {{US$|1,000,000|long=no|year=1973|round=-5}} in its first year of release.{{cite magazine |last1=Tan |first1=George |title=Behind The Scenes With Bruce Lee: An Inside Look at "The Dragon's" Films |magazine=Black Belt |date=November 1990 |volume=28 |issue=11 |pages=24–29 (29) |publisher=Active Interest Media |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5toDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA29 |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=12 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612161822/https://books.google.com/books?id=5toDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA29 |url-status=live }}

In Japan, it was the second highest-grossing film of 1974 with distributor rental earnings of {{JPY|1,642,000,000|link=yes|year=1974|round=-6}}.{{cite magazine |title=キネマ旬報ベスト・テン85回全史 1924–2011 |magazine=Kinema Junpo |date=2012 |page=322 |lang=ja}} It was the highest-grossing film of all-time in the Philippines. In South Korea, the film sold 229,681 tickets in the capital city of Seoul.{{cite web |title=영화정보 |url=http://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/mast/mvie/searchMovieList.do |website=KOFIC |publisher=Korean Film Council |access-date=26 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225151904/http://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/mast/mvie/searchMovieList.do |archive-date=25 December 2018 |url-status=live }} In India, the movie was released in 1975 and opened to full houses; in one Bombay theatre, New Excelsior, it had a packed 32-week run.{{cite news |title=Bruce Lee storms Bombay once again with Return of the Dragon |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/films/story/19790915-bruce-lee-storms-bombay-once-again-with-return-of-the-dragon-822544-2014-02-21 |last1=Mohamed |first1=Khalid |author-link=Khalid Mohamed |work=India Today |date=15 September 1979 |access-date=20 January 2015 |archive-date=16 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716194756/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/films/story/19790915-bruce-lee-storms-bombay-once-again-with-return-of-the-dragon-822544-2014-02-21 |url-status=live }} The film was also a success in Iran, where there was a theatre which played it daily up until the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Against a tight budget of $850,000, the film grossed {{US$|100,000,000|year=1973|round=-7}} upon its initial 1973 worldwide release,{{cite book |last1=Gross |first1=Edward |title=Bruce Lee: Fists of Fury |date=1990 |publisher=Pioneer Books |page=137 |isbn=9781556982330 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QIwnAQAAIAAJ |quote=In 1973, his third (sic) Enter the Dragon, grossed $100 million world-wide and firmly established young Lee as an international star whose films were almost guaranteed to be successful. |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801113434/https://books.google.com/books?id=QIwnAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |editor1-last=Waugh |editor1-first=Darin |title=British Newspaper Clippings – Showtalk: The King Lives |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rWPuAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA98 |year=1978 |work=Bruce Lee Eve: The Robert Blakeman Bruce Lee Memorabilia Collection Logbook, and Associates of Bruce Lee Eve Newsletters |publisher=Kiazen Publications |isbn=978-1-4583-1893-0 |quote=Lee first found success in The Big Boss and followed that with Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon which grossed an outstanding 100,000,000 dollars and firmly established itself as one of the world's all-time top films in commercial terms. Lee went on to top this with The Way of the Dragon and the cameras had barely stopped rolling when he began what was to be his final film Game of Death. (...) Now director Robert Clouse has completed Game of Death. |access-date=10 June 2020 |archive-date=23 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623053103/https://books.google.com/books?id=rWPuAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA98 |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last1=Hoffmann |first1=Frank W. |last2=Bailey |first2=William G. |last3=Ramirez |first3=Beulah B. |title=Arts & Entertainment Fads |date=1990 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-86656-881-4 |page=210 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_tR1owszUR0C&pg=PA210 |quote=American moviemakers already knew the potential of the martial arts film; in 1973 “Enter the Dragon,” starring Bruce Lee, earned Fred Weintraub and Raymond Chow $100,000,000 worldwide. Of that amount $11,000,000 came from U.S. sales, indicating the market was really overseas. |access-date=10 June 2020 |archive-date=10 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610092453/https://books.google.com/books?id=_tR1owszUR0C&pg=PA210 |url-status=live }} making it one of the world's highest-grossing films of all time up until then. The film went on to have multiple re-releases around the world over the next several decades, significantly increasing its worldwide gross. The film went on to gross over {{US$|220 million|long=no}} internationally by 1981, making it the highest-grossing martial arts film of all time.{{cite news |last1=Hamberger |first1=Mitchell G. |date=1 December 1981 |title=Bruce Lee remembered |page=6 |work=York Daily Record |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/553719147/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=16 April 2022 |quote=His biggest and best film Enter the Dragon, grossed over {{US$|220 million|long=no}} internationally. That's more than any martial arts film has ever grossed. |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=16 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416210057/https://www.newspapers.com/image/553719147/ |url-status=live }} It was reportedly still among the {{nowrap|top 50}} all-time highest-grossing films in 1990.{{cite journal |title=The Turtles Take Hollywood |journal=Asiaweek |date=May 1990 |volume=16 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dIoMAQAAMAAJ |access-date=10 June 2020 |publisher=Asiaweek Limited |quote=Lee's 1973 film Enter the Dragon is said to be one of the 50 top-grossing films of all time. |archive-date=11 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611135912/https://books.google.com/books?id=dIoMAQAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}

By 1998, it had grossed more than {{US$|300 million|long=no}} worldwide.{{cite journal |title=Immortal Kombat |journal=Vibe |date=August 1998 |volume=6 |issue=8 |pages=90–94 (94) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JywEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 |publisher=Vibe Media Group |issn=1070-4701 |quote=Bruce's own production company, Concord, was a full partner with Warner Bros, in his final, and greatest film, Enter the Dragon. Made for just $600,000, it has since grossed more than $300 million. |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=20 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620111446/https://books.google.com/books?id=JywEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 |url-status=live }} {{As of|2001}}, it has grossed an estimated total of over {{US$|400 million|long=no}} worldwide,{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Wayne |title=Bruce Lee |date=2001 |publisher=Mitchell Lane Publishers |isbn=978-1-58415-066-4 |pages=30–1 |url=https://archive.org/details/bruceleereallife00wayn/page/30/mode/2up |quote=After its release, Enter the Dragon became Warner Brothers' highest grossing movie of 1973. It has earned well over $400{{nbsp}}million}} having earned more than 400 times its original budget. The film's cost-to-profit ratio makes it one of the most commercially successful and profitable films of all time.{{cite book |last1=Bishop |first1=James |title=Remembering Bruce: The Enduring Legend of the Martial Arts Superstar |date=1999 |publisher=Cyclone Books |isbn=978-1-890723-21-7 |page=46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zh0f8EsE5GUC |quote=Three weeks after Bruce Lee died Enter the Dragon was released in the United States and became an instant hit. The movie, made for around $800,000, made {{US$|3 million|long=no}} in its first seven weeks. Its success spread to Europe and then worldwide. It would eventually make over {{US$|200 million|long=no}}, making it one of the most profitable movies of all time. |access-date=7 June 2020 |archive-date=18 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618044351/https://books.google.com/books?id=Zh0f8EsE5GUC |url-status=live }} Adjusted for inflation, the film's worldwide gross is estimated to be the equivalent of around {{US$|2 billion|long=no}} {{as of|2022|lc=y}}.{{cite news |last1=Risen |first1=Clay |title=Bob Wall, Martial Arts Master Who Sparred With Bruce Lee, Dies at 82 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/11/us/bob-wall-dead.html |access-date=16 April 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=11 February 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211164954/http://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/11/us/bob-wall-dead.html |archive-date=11 February 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Chachowski |first1=Richard |title=The Best Kung Fu Movies Of All Time Ranked |url=https://www.looper.com/805482/the-best-kung-fu-movies-of-all-time-ranked/ |access-date=16 April 2022 |work=Looper.com |publisher=Static Media |date=21 March 2022 |archive-date=21 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421163001/https://www.looper.com/805482/the-best-kung-fu-movies-of-all-time-ranked/ |url-status=live }}

Upon release, the film was initially received mixed reviews from several critics, including a favourable review from Variety magazine.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1973/film/reviews/enter-the-dragon-1200423093/|title=Review: 'Enter the Dragon'|author=Variety Staff|date=31 July 1973|access-date=11 December 2017|archive-date=8 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108210457/http://variety.com/1973/film/reviews/enter-the-dragon-1200423093/|url-status=live}} The film eventually went on to be well-received by most critics, and it is widely regarded as one of the best films of 1973.{{cite web |url=http://www.filmsite.org/1973.html |title=The Greatest Films of 1973 |publisher=AMC Filmsite.org |access-date=21 May 2010 |archive-date=10 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110210115957/http://www.filmsite.org/1973.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.films101.com/y1973r.htm |title=The Best Movies of 1973 by Rank |publisher=Films101.com |access-date=21 May 2010 |archive-date=13 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413212242/http://www.films101.com/y1973r.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/year/1973 |title=Most Popular Feature Films Released in 1973 |publisher=IMDb |access-date=22 May 2010 |archive-date=1 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100501143814/http://www.imdb.com/year/1973/ |url-status=live }} Critics have referred to Enter the Dragon as "a low-rent James Bond thriller",[http://movies.tvguide.com/enter-the-dragon/review/113986 Enter the Dragon, TV Guide Movie Review.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704171300/http://movies.tvguide.com/enter-the-dragon/review/113986 |date=4 July 2012 }} TV Guide. Retrieved 28 September 2012.The Fourth Virgin Film Guide by James Pallot and the editors of [inebook]], published by Virgin Books, 1995 a "remake of Dr. No" with elements of Fu Manchu.Hong Kong Action Cinema by Bey Logan, published by Titan Books, 1995 J.C. Maçek III of PopMatters wrote, "Of course the real showcase here is the obvious star here, Bruce Lee, whose performance as an actor and a fighter are the most enhanced by the perfect sound and video transfer. While Kelly was a famous martial artist and a surprisingly good actor and Saxon was a famous actor and a surprisingly good martial artist, Lee proves to be a master of both fields."{{cite web|work=PopMatters|url=https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/172567-enter-the-dragon-40th-anniversary-edition-blu-ray/|title=Tournament of Death, Tour de Force: 'Enter the Dragon: 40th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray'|first=J.C.|last=Maçek III|date=21 June 2013|access-date=20 April 2020|archive-date=30 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630000902/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/172567-enter-the-dragon-40th-anniversary-edition-blu-ray/|url-status=live}}

Many acclaimed newspapers and magazines reviewed the film. Variety described it as "rich in the atmosphere", the music score as "a strong asset" and the photography as "interesting".{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1973/film/reviews/enter-the-dragon-1200423093/|title=Review: 'Enter the Dragon'|date=31 July 1973|website=Variety|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304140319/http://variety.com/1973/film/reviews/enter-the-dragon-1200423093/|url-status=live}} The New York Times gave the film a rave review: "The picture is expertly made and well-meshed; it moves like lightning and brims with color. It is also the most savagely murderous and numbing hand-hacker (not a gun in it) you will ever see anywhere."{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9500E3D71631E63BBC4052DFBE668388669EDE|title=Movie Review - - 'Enter Dragon,' Hollywood Style:The Cast |last=Thompson |first=Howard|date=18 August 1973 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131232805/https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9500E3D71631E63BBC4052DFBE668388669EDE|archive-date=31 January 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=10 May 2016}}

The film holds an 88% approval rating on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes based on 78 reviews, with an average rating of 7.80/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Badass to the max, Enter the Dragon is the ultimate kung-fu movie and fitting (if untimely) Bruce Lee swan song."{{cite web |title=Enter the Dragon |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/enter_the_dragon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715191014/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/enter_the_dragon |archive-date=15 July 2020 |access-date=21 August 2023 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}} On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100 based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite web |title=Enter the Dragon |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/enter-the-dragon |website=Metacritic |access-date=21 January 2022 |archive-date=22 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122154217/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/enter-the-dragon |url-status=live }} In 2004, the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070034/awards |title=Enter the Dragon: Award Wins and Nominations |publisher=IMDb |access-date=21 May 2010 |archive-date=8 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608004618/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070034/awards |url-status=live }}

Enter the Dragon was selected as the best martial arts film of all time, in a 2013 poll of The Guardian and The Observer critics.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/dec/06/top-10-martial-arts-movies|title=Top 10 martial arts movies|newspaper=The Guardian|date=6 December 2013|access-date=7 June 2020|archive-date=28 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528160416/https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/dec/06/top-10-martial-arts-movies|url-status=live}} The film also ranks No. 474 on Empire magazine's 2008 list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/500/5.asp|title=Empire's The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time|work=Empire magazine|access-date=21 May 2010|archive-date=28 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028130555/http://www.empireonline.com/500/5.asp|url-status=dead }}

Enter the Dragon has remained one of the most popular martial arts films since its premiere and has been released numerous times worldwide on multiple home video formats. For almost three decades, many theatrical and home video versions were censored for violence, especially in the West. In the UK alone, at least four different versions have been released. Since 2001, the film has been released uncut in the UK and most other territories.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/case-studies/enter-dragon|title=BBFC Case Studies: Enter the Dragon (1973)|website=bbfc.co.uk|publisher=British Board of Film Classification|access-date=15 December 2018|archive-date=16 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216103624/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/case-studies/enter-dragon|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://melonfarmers.co.uk/bbfc_cuts_enter_the_dragon.htm|title=Enter the Dragon: Bruce Lee vs the BBFC|website=Melonfarmers.co.uk|publisher=MelonFarmers|access-date=15 December 2018|archive-date=22 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122074040/http://melonfarmers.co.uk/bbfc_cuts_enter_the_dragon.htm|url-status=live}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oaSUETaJ6E |title=Cutting Edge: Episode 46 - Enter The Dragon |access-date=12 August 2020 |archive-date=8 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200108142538/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oaSUETaJ6E |url-status=live }} Most DVDs and Blu-rays come with a wide range of extra features in the form of documentaries, interviews, etc. In 2013, a second, remastered HD transfer appeared on Blu-ray, billed as the "40th Anniversary Edition".{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=650|title=Enter the Dragon (1973) DVD comparison|publisher=DVDCompare|access-date=15 December 2018|archive-date=15 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215222326/http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=650|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=10949|title=Enter the Dragon (1973) Blu-ray comparison|publisher=DVDCompare|access-date=15 December 2018|archive-date=15 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215222926/http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=10949|url-status=live}}

In 2020, new 2K digital restorations of the theatrical cut and special edition were included as part of the Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits box set by The Criterion Collection (under licensed from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment through the physical home media joint venture in US and Canada named Studio Distribution Services, LLC. and Fortune Star Media Limited), which featured all of Lee's films, as well as Game of Death II.{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2020/04/bruce-lee-criterion-collection-greatest-hits-1202224688/|title=Bruce Lee Will Make His Criterion Collection Debut This Summer with Greatest Hits Set|first=Ryan|last=Lattanzio|work=IndieWire|date=13 April 2020|access-date=17 July 2020|url-status=live|archive-date=16 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516191947/https://www.indiewire.com/2020/04/bruce-lee-criterion-collection-greatest-hits-1202224688/}}

Enter the Dragon has been parodied and referenced in places such as the 1976 film The Pink Panther Strikes Again, the satirical publication The Onion, the Japanese game-show Takeshi's Castle, and the 1977 John Landis comedy anthology film The Kentucky Fried Movie (in its lengthy "A Fistful of Yen" sequence, basically a comedic, note for note remake of Dragon) and also in the film Balls of Fury.{{cite web|url=http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30496|title=Rumsfeld Hosts No-Holds-Barred Martial Arts Tournament at Remote Island Fortress|website=The Onion|date=17 March 2004|access-date=15 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815131719/http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30496|archive-date=15 August 2007|url-status=dead}} It was also parodied on television in That '70s Show during the episode Jackie Moves On with regular character Fez taking on the Bruce Lee role. Several clips from the film are comically used during the theatre scene in The Last Dragon. Lee's martial arts films were broadly lampooned in the recurring Almost Live! sketch Mind Your Manners with Billy Quan. Ram Gopal Varma directed the martial-arts film Ladki: Dragon Girl after being heavily inspired by the film.

In August 2007, the now-defunct Warner Independent Pictures announced that television producer Kurt Sutter would be remaking the film as a noir-style thriller entitled Awaken the Dragon with Korean singer-actor Rain.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2007/film/markets-festivals/warners-to-remake-enter-the-dragon-2-1117969988/|title=Warners to remake 'Enter the Dragon'|last=Fleming|first=Michael|date=9 August 2007|work=Variety|access-date=12 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418034915/http://variety.com/2007/film/markets-festivals/warners-to-remake-enter-the-dragon-2-1117969988/|archive-date=18 April 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/57745-will-rain-awaken-the-dragon|title=Will Rain Awaken the Dragon ?|publisher=ComingSoon.net|author=CS|date=5 August 2009|access-date=20 April 2020|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308214526/https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/57745-will-rain-awaken-the-dragon|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Exclusive-Rain-Confirms-He-s-Still-Considering-Enter-The-Dragon-Remake-15692.html|title=Exclusive: Rain Confirms He's Still Considering Enter The Dragon Remake|publisher=Cinema Blend|last=Rich|first=Kathy|work=CINEMABLEND |date=13 November 2009|access-date=20 April 2020|archive-date=31 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731054043/https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Exclusive-Rain-Confirms-He-s-Still-Considering-Enter-The-Dragon-Remake-15692.html|url-status=live}} It was announced in September 2014 that Spike Lee would work on the remake. In March 2015, Brett Ratner revealed that he wanted to make the remake.{{cite web|url=http://thestudioexec.com/spike-lee-to-remake-enter-the-dragon/|title=SPIKE LEE TO REMAKE ENTER THE DRAGON|publisher=The Studio Exec|last=Sternberger|first=Chad|date=16 September 2014|access-date=14 May 2016|archive-date=4 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604034144/http://thestudioexec.com/spike-lee-to-remake-enter-the-dragon/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.aintitcool.com/node/70809|title=Brett Ratner Is Trying To Remake ENTER THE DRAGON|publisher=Ain't It Cool News|author=mrbeaks|date=21 March 2015|access-date=20 April 2020|archive-date=6 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806024525/http://www.aintitcool.com/node/70809|url-status=live}} In July 2018, David Leitch was in early talks to direct the remake.{{cite magazine|url=https://deadline.com/2018/07/enter-the-dragon-bruce-lee-remake-david-leitch-deadpool-2-john-wick-warner-bros-1202431792/|title=Remake Of Bruce Lee's 'Enter The Dragon' Has 'Deadpool 2's David Leitch in Talks|magazine=Deadline|author=Mike Fleming, Jr|date=23 July 2018|access-date=5 August 2018|archive-date=6 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806024547/https://deadline.com/2018/07/enter-the-dragon-bruce-lee-remake-david-leitch-deadpool-2-john-wick-warner-bros-1202431792/|url-status=live}} As of 2024, there are no further updates on this project.

Enter the Dragon has been cited as one of the most influential action films of all time. Sascha Matuszak of Vice called it the most influential kung fu film and said it "is referenced in all manner of media, the plot line and characters continue to influence storytellers today and the impact was particularly felt in the revolutionizing way the film portrayed African-Americans, Asians and traditional martial arts."{{cite web |last1=Matuszak |first1=Sascha |title=Bruce Lee's Last Words: Enter the Dragon and the Martial Arts Explosion |url=http://fightland.vice.com/blog/bruce-lees-last-words-enter-the-dragon-and-the-martial-arts-explosion |website=Vice |access-date=23 March 2020 |date=1 July 2015 |archive-date=2 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102120348/http://fightland.vice.com/blog/bruce-lees-last-words-enter-the-dragon-and-the-martial-arts-explosion |url-status=dead }} Joel Stice of Uproxx called it "arguably the most influential kung fu movie of all time."{{cite web |last1=Stice |first1=Joel |title=Bruce Lee Was Bitten By A Cobra And 5 Other Surprising 'Enter The Dragon' Facts |url=https://uproxx.com/movies/enter-the-draon-trivia/ |website=Uproxx |access-date=23 March 2020 |date=27 November 2015 |archive-date=23 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323193426/https://uproxx.com/movies/enter-the-draon-trivia/ |url-status=live }} Kuan-Hsing Chen and Beng Huat Chua cited its fight scenes as influential as well as its "hybrid form and its mode of address" which pitches "an elemental story of good against evil in such a spectacle-saturated way."{{cite book |last1=Chen |first1=Kuan-Hsing |last2=Chua |first2=Beng Huat |title=The Inter-Asia Cultural Studies Reader |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-08396-1 |page=489 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q4d4CAAAQBAJ&pg=PT489 |access-date=23 March 2020 |archive-date=6 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606083852/https://books.google.com/books?id=q4d4CAAAQBAJ&pg=PT489 |url-status=live }} Quentin Tarantino cited Enter the Dragon as a formative influence on his career.{{Cite web |last=Fitzmaurice |first=Larry |date=28 August 2015 |title=Quentin Tarantino: The Complete Syllabus of His Influences and References |url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/08/quentin-tarantino-the-complete-syllabus.html |access-date=16 May 2022 |website=Vulture.com |language=en-us |archive-date=17 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517042305/https://www.vulture.com/2015/08/quentin-tarantino-the-complete-syllabus.html |url-status=live }}

According to Scott Mendelson of Forbes, Enter the Dragon contains spy film elements similar to the James Bond film series. Enter the Dragon was the most successful action-spy film to not be part of the James Bond film series; Enter the Dragon had an initial global box office comparable to the James Bond films of that era, and a lifetime gross surpassing every James Bond film up until GoldenEye. Mendelson argues that, had Bruce Lee lived after Enter the Dragon was released, the film had the potential to launch an action-spy film franchise starring Bruce Lee that could have rivalled the success of the James Bond franchise.{{cite web |last1=Mendelson |first1=Scott |date=15 September 2020 |title=How Bruce Lee's Death Impacted The James Bond Movies |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2020/09/15/bruce-lee-james-bond-roger-moore-enter-the-dragon-movies-box-office/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115214221/https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2020/09/15/bruce-lee-james-bond-roger-moore-enter-the-dragon-movies-box-office/ |archive-date=15 January 2021 |access-date=22 December 2020 |website=Forbes}}

The film had an impact on MMA. In the opening fight sequence, where Lee fights Sammo Hung, Lee demonstrated elements of what would later become known as MMA. Both fighters wore what would later become common MMA clothing items, including kempo gloves and small shorts, and the fight ends with Lee utilising an armbar (then used in judo and jiu-jitsu) to submit Hung. According to UFC Hall of Fame fighter Urijah Faber, "that was the moment" that MMA was born.{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Mathew |title=Bruce Lee and his starring role in the birth of modern mixed martial arts |url=https://www.scmp.com/sport/mixed-martial-arts/article/3011101/grandfather-mma-bruce-lee-and-his-starring-role-birth |access-date=5 July 2021 |work=South China Morning Post |date=21 May 2019 |archive-date=8 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210708223800/https://www.scmp.com/sport/mixed-martial-arts/article/3011101/grandfather-mma-bruce-lee-and-his-starring-role-birth |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Robles |first1=Pablo |last2=Wong |first2=Dennis |last3=Scott |first3=Mathew |title=How Bruce Lee and street fighting in Hong Kong helped create MMA |url=https://multimedia.scmp.com/infographics/sport/article/3010883/bruce-lee-and-mixed-martial-arts/index.html |access-date=6 July 2021 |work=South China Morning Post |date=21 May 2019 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183404/https://multimedia.scmp.com/infographics/sport/article/3010883/bruce-lee-and-mixed-martial-arts/index.html |url-status=live }}

The Dragon Ball manga and anime franchise, debuted in 1984, was inspired by Enter the Dragon, which Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama was a fan of.{{cite book |title=TV Anime Guide: Dragon Ball Z Son Goku Densetsu |date=2003 |publisher=Shueisha |isbn=4088735463 |chapter=Akira Toriyama × Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru |chapter-url=https://www.kanzenshuu.com/translations/son-goku-densetsu-toriyama-x-nakatsuru/ |access-date=21 November 2019 |archive-date=3 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903173254/https://www.kanzenshuu.com/translations/son-goku-densetsu-toriyama-x-nakatsuru/ |url-status=live }}{{cite book |title=The Dragon Ball Z Legend: The Quest Continues |date=2004 |publisher=DH Publishing Inc |isbn=9780972312493 |page=[https://archive.org/details/dragonballzlegen00iked/page/n6 7] |url=https://archive.org/details/dragonballzlegen00iked|url-access=registration }} The title Dragon Ball was also inspired by Enter the Dragon and the piercing eyes of Goku's Super Saiyan transformation was based on Bruce Lee's paralysing glare.{{cite news |title=Comic Legends: Why Did Goku's Hair Turn Blonde? |url=https://www.cbr.com/goku-dragon-ball-blonde/ |access-date=21 November 2019 |work=Comic Book Resources |date=1 January 2018 |archive-date=19 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719145451/https://www.cbr.com/goku-dragon-ball-blonde/ |url-status=live }}

Enter the Dragon inspired early beat 'em up brawler games. It was cited by game designer Yoshihisa Kishimoto as a key inspiration behind Technōs Japan's brawler Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, released as Renegade in the West.{{cite news |last1=Leone |first1=Matt |title=The man who created Double Dragon |url=https://www.polygon.com/2012/10/12/3495124/the-man-who-created-double-dragon |access-date=27 April 2021 |work=Polygon |date=12 October 2012 |archive-date=29 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191129111402/https://www.polygon.com/2012/10/12/3495124/the-man-who-created-double-dragon |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Andrew |title=History of Digital Games: Developments in Art, Design and Interaction |date=16 March 2017 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-317-50381-1 |pages=143–6}} Its spiritual successor Double Dragon also drew inspiration from Enter the Dragon, with the game's title being a homage to the film. Double Dragon also features two enemies named Roper and Williams, a reference to the two characters Roper and Williams from Enter the Dragon. The sequel Double Dragon II: The Revenge includes opponents named Bolo and Oharra.

Enter the Dragon was the foundation for fighting games.{{cite book |last1=Kapell |first1=Matthew Wilhelm |title=The Play Versus Story Divide in Game Studies: Critical Essays |date=2015 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-1-4766-2309-2 |page=166 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6s_-CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA166 |access-date=23 March 2020 |archive-date=6 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606083910/https://books.google.com/books?id=6s_-CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA166 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Stuart |first1=Keith |title=Bruce Lee, UFC and why the martial arts star is a video game hero |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/09/bruce-lee-ea-sports- |access-date=20 July 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=9 April 2014 |archive-date=17 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517200634/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/09/bruce-lee-ea-sports- |url-status=live }} The film's tournament plot inspired numerous fighting games, such as the Tekken series, for example.{{cite web |last1=Gill |first1=Patrick |title=Street Fighter and basically every fighting game exist because of Bruce Lee |url=https://www.polygon.com/gaming/2020/9/24/21440150/bruce-lee-movies-street-fighter-fighting-games |website=Polygon |access-date=24 March 2021 |date=24 September 2020 |archive-date=10 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310053038/https://www.polygon.com/gaming/2020/9/24/21440150/bruce-lee-movies-street-fighter-fighting-games |url-status=live }} The Street Fighter video game franchise, debuted in 1987, was inspired by Enter the Dragon, with the gameplay centered around an international fighting tournament, and each character having a unique combination of ethnicity, nationality and fighting style. Street Fighter went on to set the template for all fighting games that followed.{{cite book |last1=Thrasher |first1=Christopher David |title=Fight Sports and American Masculinity: Salvation in Violence from 1607 to the Present |date=2015 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-1823-4 |page=208 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=77zwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA208 |access-date=15 March 2020 |archive-date=6 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606082039/https://books.google.com/books?id=77zwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA208 |url-status=live }} The little-known 1985 Nintendo arcade game Arm Wrestling contains voice leftovers from the film, as well as their original counterparts. The popular fighting game Mortal Kombat borrows multiple plot elements from Enter the Dragon as does its movie adaptation.

• Bruce Lee filmography
• List of cult films

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• [https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/enter_dragon.pdf Enter the Dragon] essay by Michael Sragow at National Film Registry
• [https://books.google.com/books?id=deq3xI8OmCkC Enter the Dragon] essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN|0826429777}}, pages 694-696
• {{IMDb title|0070034}}
• {{hkmdb title|5449}}
• {{mojo title|enterthedragon}}

{{Robert Clouse}}

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