Orange Sky Golden Harvest
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film production, distribution, and exhibition |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Founder | Raymond Chow, Leonard Ho, Peter Choy |
| Headquarters | Kowloon , Hong Kong |
Area served | Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia |
Key people | Kelvin Wu King Shiu (CEO 2009–2011) |
| Products | Films, cinema operations |
| Parent | Orange Sky Entertainment Group (since 2009 merger) |
| Website | www |
Orange Sky Golden Harvest (OSGH) (), previously known as Golden Harvest Entertainment Group from 1970 until 2009, is a film production, distribution, and exhibition enterprise headquartered in Hong Kong. It was the dominant force in Hong Kong’s box office throughout the 1970s and 1980s and significantly contributed to the international prominence of Hong Kong action cinema, particularly through collaborations with Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Sammo Hung.
History
Established in 1970 by industry veterans Raymond Chow, Leonard Ho, and Peter Choy—who were formerly executives at Shaw Brothers—Golden Harvest distinguished itself by adopting a flexible business approach. This included contracting independent producers and providing artists with enhanced remuneration and creative autonomy. The landmark 1971 agreement with Bruce Lee for The Big Boss propelled the company onto the international film scene.
In 1973, Golden Harvest partnered with Warner Bros. and Concord Production Inc. to co-produce Enter the Dragon, a global blockbuster that marked a significant collaboration with Hollywood. Following Bruce Lee’s passing, the studio flourished with successful comedies from the Hui Brothers and overtook Shaw Brothers as Hong Kong’s premier studio by the late 1970s.
Golden Harvest expanded its international footprint by producing eight films aimed at worldwide audiences by 1980. Notable titles include The Amsterdam Kill (1978) and Jackie Chan’s debut international feature, The Big Brawl (1980). Despite hits such as The Cannonball Run (1981) and early Tom Selleck films, underwhelming financial returns led to withdrawal from the U.S. market.
From the 1980s into recent years, Golden Harvest was responsible for producing the majority of Jackie Chan’s movies and collaborated with stars like Jet Li, Cynthia Rothrock, and Donnie Yen. The company regained global acclaim in the 1990s through the production of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy.
In 1992, Golden Harvest established a 50:50 joint venture with Australia’s Village Roadshow to develop multiplex cinemas in Singapore under the brand Golden Village. The company divested its film library to Star TV in 1993 and went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1994.
After Leonard Ho’s death in 1998, Golden Harvest transitioned its focus away from film production toward financing, distribution, and cinema operations within Hong Kong and Mainland China by 2003. In 2004, shareholders included Li Ka-shing and EMI. Raymond Chow sold his stake in 2007 to Wu Kebo of Orange Sky Entertainment Group; subsequently, in 2009 Golden Harvest merged with Orange Sky and rebranded as Orange Sky Golden Harvest.
Between 2009 and 2011 under CEO Kelvin Wu King Shiu, the company announced a revival strategy involving new film productions slated for release in 2010.
In October 2017, Golden Harvest acquired full ownership of Golden Village by purchasing Village Roadshow’s remaining shares, thereby strengthening its position in Singapore’s cinema industry. The future branding strategy for Golden Village following this acquisition remains undecided.
Cinemas
Orange Sky Golden Harvest manages cinema operations across Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore primarily through joint ventures. It holds full ownership of Golden Village—previously a partnership with Village Roadshow—which operates Gold Class cinemas as well as Asia’s pioneering multiplex facilities.
In Malaysia, the group was instrumental in founding the nation’s two largest cinema chains: Golden Screen Cinemas, initially a joint venture with Malaysia’s PPB Group (which later assumed full ownership), and TGV Cinemas (formerly Tanjong Golden Village), a collaboration involving Malaysia’s Tanjong and Australia’s Village Roadshow, with Tanjong eventually acquiring complete control.
In June 2025, Orange Sky Golden Harvest Entertainment (Holdings) Limited declared it would terminate leases for its final four cinemas in Hong Kong by June 29, concluding all local theater operations there. Apart from GH Galaxy Plaza, these venues were taken over by Shanghai Xingyi Cinema.
The company has recently expanded its footprint by acquiring Warner Village in Taiwan.
See also
References
- Bordwell, David. Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.
- Teo, Stephen. Hong Kong Cinema: The Extra Dimensions. London: British Film Institute, 1997.
- Yang, Jeff. Once Upon a Time in China: A Guide to Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese Cinema. New York: Atria, 2003.