MovieChat Forums > Big Trouble in Little China (1986) Discussion > Why was this a box office flop

Why was this a box office flop

posted 12 years ago by przemek-m
43 replies | jump to latest

People in 1986 must have been retards. This is one of my favourite movies and one of the best films ever made. The film is fantastic and there is no logical explanation, why at a time when it was released, it was a commercial failure. I think that in those days people expected movies to be deadly serious or ultra funny. Nothing in between. They didn't actually understand that it should be watched like Godzilla movies or wrestling. And I also have another theory, that in those times people could not cope with such a mix of genres. Here we have sensation, sci-fi, fantasy, comedy, adventure, and kung-fu. Well at least it became a huge hit on video later on. Russell's role is freakin' Oscar worthy and his every line is a classic and makes me laugh.

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[–] DingusStudley 12 years ago

People have awful taste. They did back then and they still do.

They also HATE new or weird things. That's why we get so many sequels and superhero movies. It was true back then too.

[–] darkstorm97 12 years ago

Blech! Don't get me started on superhero movies. Back to BTiLC, I think it was nefore it's time in many ways. It also came out during a very good summer for movies... Aliens, The Fly, ect. I wish I had been more than 7 years old that summer. I would have seen them all.

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[–] Gaodhal 12 years ago

I was staggered to learn this film was a flop. I'd always assumed it had been very successful.

-Níl aon scáileán mar do scáileán féin.-

[–] dragonstephen-1 12 years ago

apparently that summer ALIENS stole the show, followed closely by The Fly, John mentions it on the dvd commentary

"sticks and stones may brake my bones but whips , chains, leather and tight pvc excite me"

[–] okwong-e 12 years ago

The combination of shoddy marketing and the lead hero being anything but.

There was an article in a recent issue of EMPIRE magazine this year profiling the movies Carpenter and Kurt Russell had made together and John says that BTILC was intended to be Fox's leading summer blockbuster...until then studio chief Barry Diller saw it during the first screening, for the studio, and admitted to both him and Kurt afterwards that he didn't 'get it'(his primary problem being the realisation that Dennis Dun's character was the hero and not Russell's) hence not spending enough on the marketing budget.

Carpenter in the article specifically says that back then you needed to spend a certain amount of money on a film marketing wise to raise awareness and they ended up with substantially less.

[–] DingusStudley 12 years ago

It's amazing someone in a position as high up as studio chief, in the business of movies, could fail to grasp something as straightforward and simple as the character of Jack Burton or of the movie itself. How can you watch this and not understand that it's as much a comedy as it is an action movie? That the character of Jack Burton is meant to be laughed at, is meant to serve as a spoof of your classic american cinematic hero?

What an idiot.

[–] darkstorm97 12 years ago

They wanted an Indiana Jones type of movie. It wasn't what they expected. Especially when your lead is a total bufoon... great as he may be ;)

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[–] ExTechOp (2770) 5 years ago

I recall some of the press at the time, and word wasn't so much that studio chiefs didn't "get it," but that they OBJECTED to the notion that the white lead was actually the Asian hero's sidekick.

Some just objected to the "hero" being a buffoon, completely missing who the actual hero was.

It still goes on; that's why "21" had nearly all white actors playing people who, in real life, were all Chinese-American

[–] Howlin Wolf 12 years ago

Lack of promotion, apparently - because the studio didn't know how to categorise it.

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] gregopego12 12 years ago

Saw it in the theater. Very confusing. But, I watched it on cable, and this movie is fascinating. It might not fare well with a format transfer, but a re-screening would be awesome!
They don't make
Them like this anymore.

"I feel. . . . . .good!"

[–] Joecool1-1 11 years ago

I'd say a lack of promotion. I remember seeing it in the theater and enjoying it even on the first viewing and I was 11 years old at the time. Kurt Russell is one of my favorite actors. I think I always understood him and that a lot of his characters were over-the-top like Stuntman Mike (which I loved) in Grindhouse/Death Proof. He was brilliant in Tango & Cash and even more serious stuff like Backdraft, Poseidon, Breakdown etc but his work with John Carpenter on Big Trouble in Little China, The Thing, Escape From New York and even Escape From LA were simply brilliant and fun.

I've always been able to take a movie for what it is and not compare it to other works or expect everything to be cerebral and dead serious though I enjoy those as well. Seriously though I'd think a lack of advertising, the film going over people's heads or not being their type of film (it's not for everyone) or competition. It came out a few weeks before James Cameron's smash hit Aliens which I also love. Some movies are just timing or have a hard time finding an audience. For some reason Kurt Russell and John Carpenter had some trouble in those days getting people into theaters even though those films are now cult classics.

There were successes like Halloween, The Fog, Escape From New York. It's hard to believe a cult classic like The Thing had a $15 million budget and only grossed $3 million at the box office. It seems like so many people I know LOVE that movie but how many besides me went to see it in theaters? Same for Big Trouble in Little China. How it had a $25 million budget and only made $11 million I'd have to say bad timing in release date competing with Aliens (movies stayed in theaters longer in those days) and a complete lack of promotion. Some films are just plain fun and this was one of them.

[–] mefanch 11 years ago

Carpenter always seems to have had bad timing.

The Thing is one of the best, scariest movies, and one of my all time favorites. but it was released right after ET and at the same time as Blade Runner (2 other classics). It made 3 million opening weekend though, over $19m domestic. So not quite as bad, though not great.

[–] Druff (1841) 10 months ago

For the record, Blade Runner didn't get in anyone's way at the box office, it was a flop in its day.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] AdmiralTugBenson 11 years ago

I'm sure poor promotion probably did have something to do with it (I can't remember how well it was promoted as I was only 6) but it should also be noted that it came out at the same time as some other big films. It was out at the same time Top Gun, The Karate Kid Pt. II, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Back To School, and more were in theatres. And about two weeks into its run Aliens came out.

Top Gun would have really hurt it anyway, even if they had promoted it well. That thing was a juggernaut, it came out a couple of months before Big Trouble In Little China and hogged box office receipts for the better part of that year. It opened in May and it wasn't until November that it dropped out of the top 10 in the box office results, but still continued to make money through December.

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[–] averagejoeman2013 11 years ago

Agreed. I had hoped it would have fared well, but somewhat disappointed it didnt. However, it has gained cult status and is loved by many fans. Shame that only the huge budget films get any real chance nowadays...Avatar, Titanic, LOTR, etc. But take the cult classics like BTILC, Willow, The Last Starfighter, etc....and you can still get an enjoyable film that you can relax and have a great time with. People were not entirely bright in 1985...but not much has changed...lol :)

"Freedom and morality do not go hand in hand. In fact, they are usually devoid of one another."

[–] 11 years ago

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