Despite not being a big hit in theaters when it first came out four decades ago, the cult classic Big Trouble in Little China is now gaining popularity on streaming services. The 1986 film, starring Kurt Russell, follows a truck driver who battles an ancient sorcerer to save his friend’s fiancée. This week, it’s seen a comeback, landing at number ten on the Prime Video charts.
Though now a beloved classic, Big Trouble in Little China wasn’t a success when it first came out 40 years ago. It cost over $25 million to make, but only earned a little more than $11 million in theaters. Luckily, it became popular on home video, and that’s why we’re still enjoying it today.
‘Big Trouble in Little China’ Isn’t So Bad It’s Good — It’s Actually Great
Many 80s action movies are known for being entertainingly cheesy, but Big Trouble in Little China is genuinely great. It’s a consistently fun, over-the-top adventure packed with quotable dialogue, impressive practical effects, and wonderfully outlandish villains—they’d fit right into a Mortal Kombat game! The film doesn’t take itself seriously, and that’s part of its charm. It felt self-aware and playful even before that style became popular.
What really makes the movie shine is Russell’s portrayal of Burton. He seems like a strong, capable leader, but it quickly becomes clear he’s actually quite clumsy and relies on Wang Chi (Dennis Dun), the true hero, to get things done. Burton thinks he’s the main character, but he’s really the sidekick.
Jack is a classic cartoon character – always stumbling into trouble, getting hurt, and talking his way into messes, often missing what’s really happening. Russell understands this perfectly. He intentionally plays against the tough-guy image from action movies like Escape from New York and The Thing, using it for laughs instead of seriousness.
‘Big Trouble in Little China’ Was Supposed To Get a Remake with Dwayne Johnson
Like many beloved movies from the 1980s, Big Trouble in Little China was going to be remade by 20th Century Fox, with Dwayne Johnson and his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, involved. Originally announced in 2015 with Johnson slated to play the lead role of Burton, the plans changed by 2018, and the project was reimagined as a sequel instead.
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Fortunately, the planned remake or sequel to Big Trouble in Little China never happened. When Disney bought Fox in 2019, the project was abandoned and hasn’t been revisited since. It’s hard to picture Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as Jack Burton, so we’ll happily keep enjoying the original 1986 film, which is currently available to stream on Prime Video.
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2026-02-17 19:17