This is a very interesting question.
In fact, they have all created different brilliance in their respective fields, and it is quite boring to compare the high and low. Just like Li Bai and Du Fu, can you say that you can distinguish between the first and the second?
However, it is still possible to compare their similarities and differences.
Since it is a comparison, let's first look at the box office performance. Let's briefly review the box office performance of 3 people in Hong Kong's golden age.
1. The box office performance of the three people
Jackie Chan was the first of the 3 people to "play" a world. In 1979, "Laughing Fist Strange Moves" topped the annual box office for the first time, achieving 79-80 consecutive championships.
But in the following years, Jackie Chan's Kung Fu films in the Republic of China were a bit of aesthetic fatigue, and after 81 years, they were still dominated by the "Best Partner" series of the Xu brothers and the bald Mai Jia, until 83 and 84, Jackie Chan's "A Plan" and "Police Story" opened the second spring of his career (note that there is a third and fourth spring behind), and won the third championship with "Fuxing Gaozhao" in 85.
Zhou Runfa only appeared at this time, he has been called box office poison before, in 86 and another box office poison Wu Yusen cooperation in a lifetime may only have one "Hero's True Colors", the first time to win the championship. And this classic in film history is scheduled to be re-released next week, and when the time comes, I will definitely go to the theater to return a feeling.
With the "Hero's True Colors" salted fish turned over Chow Yun Fat, ushered in his peak career, during this period many times launched plot masterpieces, "Autumn Fairy Tale" is what I think of as the most classic work of Hong Kong romance films, and later and Wang Jing created "God of Gamblers" won the 88-89 years crown.
The entire 5 years of 85-89 were a period when Zhou Runfa and Jackie Chan were intertwined and led by each other.
Then, Zhou Xingchi came. Like a supernova explosion, he monopolized the annual box office champion for 4 consecutive years.
Since 1994, the box office of Hong Kong films has declined, and the production of films has gradually decreased, and since then the glory has passed. I think the nearly 10 years of '85-93 were the golden age of the golden age of Hong Kong cinema. It is the most creative, explosive, and most watchable Hong Kong film, and it is also the most fiercely competitive period of "Bi-Weekly Cheng".
Fans who are fortunate enough to experience that period are happy.
After 95 years, Hong Kong films lost their former vitality, Chow Yun Fat went to Hollywood to develop, and since then he has never won the annual box office championship, whether in Hong Kong or in the mainland market.
Stephen Chow encountered transformation problems. Although Jackie Chan also began to shift his focus to Hollywood, he won 3 consecutive championships again with his third transformation.
Why is it the third time? The first time is "Master and Disciple Out of the Horse" as a representative, the Republic of China kung fu film; the second time is "A Plan" and "Police Story", the police image is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people; the third time is "Red Fan District" and "A Good Man" as the representative, telling the revenge story of civilian heroes, with an international perspective in production.
After 1998, Jackie Chan's focus shifted to Hollywood, and Stephen Chow completed his second transformation, launching "Shaolin Football" and "Kung Fu", continuing his annual box office champion road.
Well, by 2008, the box office champion behind Hong Kong is meaningless. Because the box office in the mainland market has long surpassed that of Hong Kong. The box office champion in the back is left to the mainland.
In the mainland market, Chow's brilliance is as always. "Kung Fu", "Journey to the West", "Mermaid" won 3 box office titles.
Count the number of box office champions above. Stephen Chow is a total of 8 box office champions in Hong Kong and 3 box office champions in the Mainland;
Jackie Chan was the 7th box office champion in Hong Kong; but Jackie Chan later focused on Hollywood, and he was also the best of the 3 at the overseas box office.
Chow Yun Fat won 4 Hong Kong box office titles. Zhou Runfa is also put in Hollywood in the later stage, of course, he is not as good as Jackie Chan in terms of box office results, but he is also the most influential second person in the overseas market of Chinese film stars.
So if you only talk about box office results, Zhou Runfa is inferior to Jackie Chan and Zhou Xingchi. In terms of box office appeal, Chow Yun-fat's durability is not as good as Chow Sing-chi and Jackie Chan.
2. Classic characters portrayed in performance
However, Zhou Runfa is probably richer than those two in terms of performance. Note that I am not saying that Chow Yun-fat's acting skills are better than those of Jackie Chan and Chow Sing-chi, but that the image on the screen left by Chow Yun-fat is more diverse.
He can also act in the literary film "Autumn Story";
You can also act in the police film "The True Colors of Heroes"; you can also act in the funny film "Eight Stars Annunciation", and later when you are old, you won the only Oscar in a Chinese film in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".
The wide range of roles he can play and the breadth of the drama path are probably incomparable to Jackie Chan and Zhou Xingchi.
In terms of awards at various film festivals, Chow Yun-fat has received higher recognition than Jackie Chan and Stephen Chow.
Although Chow Yun Fat is not a Chinese actor who has won the most major film festivals. But the box office appeal of the film emperor who has more than him (like Liang Chaowei) is not as good as him; the box office appeal is stronger than him (Jackie Chan, Zhou Xingchi) does not win more awards than him.
Before the filming, the image of Xu Wenqiang, played by Zhou Runfa, has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Therefore, the classic characters he has created are probably a little more than Jackie Chan and Zhou Xingchi.
So it can probably be said that Zhou Runfa is the best Chinese actor who combines business and art.
Why? Because Zhou Runfa is a pure actor, Jackie Chan and Zhou Xingchi are not only actors, but also directors.
Jackie Chan and Stephen Chow have been making commercial films, commercial genre films, in the history of Hong Kong cinema, and also in the world of cinema, comedies and action films are the most profitable, Jackie Chan and Stephen Chow are the two most outstanding people in Chinese film comedies and action movies.
And the two of them have always made movies that they are good at, because they are directors, and they know what kind of movies they want to make, and they can do the best.
As an actor, Zhou Runfa is to cooperate with the director, and he has cooperated with many big directors, Wu Yusen, Li An, Zhang Yimou, du Qifeng ("The Story of Ah Lang"), Wang Jing have all cooperated, and literary and art films can be particularly powerful.
3. The circulation and influence of the film
This is a matter of opinion.
However, I think Chow Yun-fat's films are not good compared with Jackie Chan and Chow Sing Chi in terms of dissemination.
As mentioned earlier, the box office of Jackie Chan and Zhou Xingchi is much higher than that of Zhou Runfa. Movies with good box office are definitely movies that are watched more by the audience.
Jackie Chan's kung fu comedy is too classic, when it comes to Chinese films in the world, when it comes to the most representative Chinese actors, it must be Jackie Chan.
Jackie Chan spread Chinese films all over the world. His Oscar for Lifetime Achievement is well deserved. Although it is difficult to say that foreigners can figure out Chinese kung fu, and even many of them think that Chinese can do kung fu, the influence of Chinese cultural symbols in the world, jackie Chan films, the influence of Jackie Chan films can not be compared with other Chinese actors. Why did "Kung Fu Panda" find Jackie Chan to dub, have you thought about it?
Although Zhou Xingchi is not as well-known as Jackie Chan, his films are better in terms of ideology and depth, especially "Journey to the West" has led china's post-80s generation of Internet culture. When it comes to the influence of a certain film on today's youth, I am afraid that no film can be compared with "Journey to the West".
Conclusion: As I said at the beginning, it is difficult for these 3 people to compare the high and low, because each of them is good at special fields, and they have achieved the best performance in their respective fields. It is unscientific to say which one is the most powerful. Because a person's achievements must not only rely on themselves, but also rely on the times.
For example, Jackie Chan movies have the highest circulation in the world, but this is because our Chinese films are not as influential in the world as Hollywood blockbusters, if Chinese films are the world's largest market. Jackie Chan is actually equivalent to an action movie superstar like Schwarzenegger, and in Hollywood, the most influential actor is certainly not an action movie actor, so this is because other factors affect the achievements of 3 people.
It is unwise to distinguish who is the most powerful, but what are the similarities and differences between them, I believe that after reading the above, you will have your own answer.