Chow Yun-fat is hoping to make a $10 million profit on a luxury home he bought for $40 million but has never lived in. The star of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon bought the two-storey home in Tai Au Mun, Clearwater Bay, in 1995. It was renovated soon afterwards but he has never lived in it and it has now been put on the market for $50 million. The 5,000-square-foot house comes with a garden, swimming pool and garage. An estate agency source said the asking price was 'slightly higher' than the property's estimated value but it was usual for owners to pitch the price a little high. He said Chow discussed his plans with a property agency in Sai Kung in the middle of last year. A close relative contacted the agency again recently to follow up. The actor does not want his celebrity status to interfere in any transaction, according to the source. 'Mr Chow wants things to be done in a low-key way because he wants to attract genuine buyers only. He doesn't want his fame to cause any disturbance or trouble,' the source said. Chow, 45, is said to have collected as much as US$2 million (HK$15.6 million) before the Lunar New Year from Crouching Tiger's American box office takings. The film has grossed about US$40 million in the US, making it the biggest Chinese-language foreign film in US history. He agreed to take a pay cut to appear in the film in return for a percentage of the gross profits. Chow attended a party in honour of the local film industry hosted by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa at Government House last week. It followed the SAR's first Oscar wins last month by Tim Yip Kam-tim and Peter Pau Tak-hei for art direction and cinematography in Crouching Tiger.
