“I don’t get American culture”: Jackie Chan Almost Gave Up on His $849M Franchise After it Tanked in China for a Surprising Reason

Jackie Chan is one of the biggest action stars in the Hollywood industry. The megastar is known for its expertise in martial arts and deadly stunts. The Asian star came to the limelight with his stunning fight scenes and physical comedy. Some of his classic films include Rush Hour, Police Story, Drunken Master, The Karate Kid, Hidden Strike, The Spy Next Door, and others. Jackie Chan was a big star in Hong Kong before he became a star in Hollywood  

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the Rush Hour film

The actor was stunned by the success of Rush Hour in America as the actor himself did not find it funny. The film also failed to get viewership in Hong Kong. It took him years to understand the comedy genre in America.

Also read-“You see it? Awful”: ‘Rush Hour’ Isn’t His Only Film That Jackie Chan Has Bitter Feelings About, Even This $60 Million Sci-fi Comedy Makes The List

Jackie Chan did not like Chris Tucker’s Rush Hour

Rush Hour was a buddy cop film, which was quite a popular theme of the 80’s. Chris Tucker did the comedy part, and Chan was a stunt expert. The film was widely appreciated by the fans and became a commercial hit in the USA. It grossed $245 million worldwide against a budget of $33 million.

Chan was never entirely comfortable with his film Rush Hour. Chan had been doing action-comedy films in Hong Kong for decades and felt that he understood cinematic comedy. However, he felt Rush Hour films were not very funny.

In a 2002 interview with Crosswalk magazine, Jackie Chan shared that he experienced disappointment and confusion over Rush Hour. He realized that comedy for American audiences is very different from what Hong Kong audiences find funny. He even shared data showing that, Rush Hour was not a hit in Asia.

Jackie Chan shared,

“I like American people, and I think they will like it. Something I don’t like is success like ‘Rush Hour,’ I make the movie and I tell my manager, ‘See? I should never make this kind of movie!’ Then I go to Asia to make [an] Asian film. And they call me and say, ‘Jackie, big hit! It[‘s a] success!’ I say what? Then I make ‘Rush Hour 2’ and I hate it! Worse than ‘Rush Hour 1!’ And they call me and say, ‘It[‘s a] success!’”

The Rush Hour franchise grossed a massive amount of $849 million worldwide.

Also read- Jackie Chan Could Not Understand Why Crew Members Were Laughing at His Dialogues, Claims He Was Pressured to Do Less Action in ‘Rush Hour’

Jackie Chan blamed his Asian mindset for not understanding American culture

In the interview, the Vanguard actor shared that he never broke out of his native Chinese mindset. He had a great understanding of Chinese culture and felt that his sense of humor would work for Hollywood films. However, he realized that American stars had a different sense of humor.

He shared,

“Then I slowly realize: Okay, I still have a Chinese mind. I have ‘hometown’ mind. I don’t get American culture or American dialogue. So now from that time on, I really listen to whatever Owen [Wilson] tell[s] me to say, whatever Chris Tucker tell[s] me to say. I realize, okay, anything I think is not funny means, it’s funny.”

Jackie Chan’s latest release was Ride On, a Chinese action drama.

Also read- Jackie Chan Was Wrong About His $245M Movie ‘Rush Hour’: “Everybody in Hollywood was talking about me”

Source- Crosswalk