In 1986, Yu directed the Hong Kong action crime thriller Legacy of Rage. It was Brandon Lee's first lead role.[5] Yu said that he and Lee did not get along during shooting.[6] In the film, Lee plays a young man blamed for a crime he did not commit.[7] Lee was nominated for a Hong Kong Film Award for Best New Performer in this role.[8] In May of the following year, it was a critical success at the Cannes Film Festival and commercial success in Japan.[9] In 1998, Legacy of Rage was released directly to video in the U.S. and Australia the next year.[8][10] This was due to ongoing interest on Lee's film, due to his early passing in 1993. The film has been described as stylistic and fast-paced, with a good performance by Lee. Some critics considered it to be Lee's best genre film.[11][12][10][13]
In 1998 Bride of Chucky opened in the USA. Yu directed a cast that consist of Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, John Ritter, Katherine Heigl, and Nick Stabil.[17] The conception began after the release of Child's Play 3 in 1991. Producers Don Mancini and David Kirschner decided that the series required a new direction.[18] Work on the film began in 1996, inspired by the release of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Yu was hired to direct the film after Kirschner and Mancini were impressed by his film The Bride with White Hair, and accepted in exchange for greater creative freedom and the ability to hire his collaborators Peter Pau and David Wu.[19][20] It grossed $11.8 million on its opening weekend, for a North American total of $32.4 million and another $18.3 million internationally. It is the highest-grossing film and the US second most financially successful of the Chucky franchise[21] The film has a 49% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60 out of 10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Bride of Chucky is devoid of any fright and the franchise has become tiresomely self-parodic, although horror fans may find some pleasure in this fourth entry's camp factor."[22] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[23]
In 2003, Freddy vs. Jason, directed by Yu, has its opening in the USA.[25] While the conception of a movie for a crossover film with a fight between Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees dates back to 1987,[26] it was later reviewed in the late 90s which led to its production.[27] Made on a budget of $30,000,000, it grossed domestically in the USA $82,622,655 adding up $116,632,628 worldwide.[28]
In 2006, Yu directed Fearless, starring Jet Li.[29] In Hong Kong it grossed an exceptional HK$30,201,600, making it the highest-grossing domestic film of the territory of 2006.[30] In North America, in its opening weekend, it placed 2nd at the box office, grossing US$10,590,244. The film went on to gross US$24,633,730 by the end of its North American run and its total worldwide gross US$68,072,848.[31][32] The film holds a rating of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus being, "Fearless is a brilliantly choreographed, beautifully filmed endcap to Li's quarter-decade of epic martial arts glory."[33]
In 2009, Yu directed the Fear Itself episode, "Family Man" which starred Clifton Collins Jr.[35] Also that year, Yu was a credited screenwriter and producer on Blood: The Last Vampire directed by Chris Nahon.[36] Production began, in May 2006, producer Bill Kong announced that he was producing a live-action film adaptation of the amine Blood: The Last Vampire, to be directed by Yu. Like the source material, it would be primarily filmed in English rather than Japanese.[37][38] Kong and Yu originally planned to finance the project themselves, but in November 2006, Production I.G officially consented to the film and began offering financial support.[39][40] Rather than being paid a straight license, Production I.G will receive a percentage of all revenues generated by the film.[40] Through ties to Manga Entertainment, the French company Pathé became the film's co-production company, joining the Hong Kong-based Edko.[38][40] Yu was retained as its producer, but Nahon took over as the film's director.[41][42] Originally slated to be released worldwide in spring 2008,[40] the film premiered in Japan on 29 May 2009,[43] and was released in the United Kingdom on 26 June 2009.[44]Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group licensed the film for release in North America, where it was released to theatres by Samuel Goldwyn Films on 10 July 2009.[45][46] The film grossed US$473,992 in Japan, and had a worldwide gross of US$5,731,143.[47][48] On the opening weekend of its limited release to twenty theatres in the United States, the film grossed $103,000.[49]
