Jackie Chan has made a lot of successful movies both in his homeland and in the international arena. With the hundreds of projects under his belt, some were not well-received by the audience. One of the action star’s most popular Hollywood films is Disney’s Around the World in 80 Days.
It was helmed as a reboot of the highly acclaimed 1956 version and an adaptation of Jules Verne’s 1873 novel. Apart from Chan, the film starred Steve Coogan and Cecile de France.
Around the World in 80 Days Was A Gigantic Mess
While the title sounds really exciting, Around the World in 80 Days was a critical and commercial flop. It only earned over $72 million worldwide against a production budget of $110 million, which means it lost a profit of at least $38 million. This seems not a really large amount, but the negative reviews dragged it down to the bottom of the sinkhole.
The original film starring David Niven as Phileas Fogg and Cantinflas as Jean Passepartout was a recipient of eight Academy Awards, winning five of them, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.
Jackie Chan’s flopped version of the celebrated epic adventure-comedy film is a total embarrassment for the actor and the viewers who loved the franchise. From the cast down to the script, it failed not only as an adaptation but as a successor to the 1956 movie.
According to Bomb Report, “Paramount pulled out of distribution duties, citing that the cast was not bankable enough.” The movie was a huge risk for Walden Media, though it went ahead without any domestic distributor. On top of that, Chan demanded “a lucrative $18.5 million pay-or-play deal.”
The film received a score of 32% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was nominated for the Worst Remake or Sequel at the Razzie Awards and won the Most Unwelcome Remake category at the Stinkers Awards.
The movie works as a good summer watch for families looking for entertainment. Other than that, it pales in comparison with Michael Anderson’s award-winning version.
Steve Coogan and Jackie Chan Talked About Around the World in 80 Days
In their interview with ScreenSlam, Steve Coogan and Jackie Chan talked about what they love about the film despite its mixed ratings. The former shared:
“It’s a universal film. It’s kind of like an adventure, sort of like a romantic adventure. It’s very old-fashioned kind of way of filmmaking, not lots of computer-generated. What you see on camera is really there so it’s very traditional kind of film.”
Meanwhile, Chan revealed there are tons of fight scenes in the film, but it still carries a positive message for the viewers.
“Lot of action, but there’s no violence. A lot of good message, we fight for the peace. The message is about trust, it’s about friendship, it’s about love.”
Chan’s adventure comedy movie may have ended up a huge box-office disaster, though it did not seem to affect or tarnish his career as an action movie star.
Around the World in 80 Days is available to stream via Disney+.
