Published : 2025-09-19
Hong Kong is home to many unique old buildings that attract foreign filmmakers. One example is Quarry Bay's "Monster Building", a filming location for the 2014 movie Transformers: Age of Extinction.
Why was the "Monster Building" chosen as a filming location by Hollywood? It has now become a must-visit photo spot for both local and international tourists. What makes it so captivating?
The "Monster Building" was once an unfinished building
The "Monster Building" actually refers to five old-style commercial and residential buildings on King's Road in Quarry Bay, namely Fook Cheong Building (福昌樓), Yick Cheong Building (益昌樓), Yick Fat Building (益發樓), Montane Mansion (海山樓) and Oceanic Mansion (海景樓), which form an E-shaped complex.
Why is it called the "Monster Building"? Let's start with its history.
The five buildings were built in the early 1960s and were originally called Parker Estate (百嘉新邨), but during their construction, the developer disappeared, causing the buildings became "unfinished buildings" suddenly.
Fortunately, five developers took over the project. In 1971, the five buildings were divided into five interconnected blocks, each 18 storeys high, with 28 units per floor, and about 500 units per building.
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The "Monster Building" consists of 5 blocks housing over 10,000 residents
In 1972, the five blocks were completed one after another, providing around 2,200 units and housing over 10,000 people. The ground floor of the buildings is lined with various small shops, such as dried seafood stores, hardware shops, and herbal tea stalls, offering a glimpse into the old Hong Kong lifestyle.
Visitors to the "Monster Building", when standing in the courtyard, might feel as if they are surrounded by the densely packed, irregular, and uneven giant buildings. This overwhelming sensation, akin to being swallowed by a monster, is how the building earned its name.
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The "Monster Building" wonder attracts Hollywood for location shooting
This stunning visual spectacle and urban marvel attracted the Hollywood team of sci-fi action film Transformers: Age of Extinction. Do you remember the chase and gunfight scenes in the film where the main characters ran through the corridors and courtyards of the "Monster Building"? And the life-or-death battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, with the "Monster Building" as their battlefield?
The film was a global box office success, grossing over 1.1 billion USD, and also made the "Monster Building" in Hong Kong an overnight sensation, introducing film fans worldwide to this densely packed high-rise location, which is both mysterious and visually stunning.
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The "Monster Building": A must-visit spot for tourists
Therefore, the "Monster Building", originally a low-profile, over 50-year-old complex hidden in a corner of Quarry Bay, gradually gained international fame, attracting thousands upon thousands of tourists to visit and capture the stunning images.
The "Monster Building" transformed from an ordinary old residential complex into a Hollywood filming location, sparking a wave of popularity as a must-visit photo spot. It serves as a microcosm of Hong Kong's evolution from a small fishing village to a bustling international metropolis.
