Directed and co-composed by John Carpenter, this cult film marked the fourth of the filmmaker’s five total collaborations with American actor Kurt Russell. And together, not just with the release of Big problems in Little China (1986), the two defined the term “cult classic” throughout the 1980s. In fact thanks to other releases like Escape from New York (1981), The thing (1983), and Escape from LA (1996), the duo embodied the term like no other in all of cinema history.
However, numerous other films before and after Carpenter and Russell’s run have achieved cult status. To take The great Lebowski (1998), for example. It has gained such a massive following that the craze over Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski – the film’s pot-smoking protagonist – may even have inspired an entire religion, or philosophy, or lifestyle: Dudeism. And while they don’t quite reach that level, the followers of this John Carpenter martial arts flick are among the most devout the industry has to offer.
Success (or lack thereof) at release
Out of the gate, it’s worth noting that the film only grossed $11 million on an estimated budget of $19-$25 million. That doesn’t look good. And that lack of revenue is due in large part to that year’s more blockbuster-oriented summer releases like Top gun (1986), The Karate Kid Part II (1986), and Aliens (1986). But it also suffered, as it were, from a lack of self-awareness.
The movie didn’t fully grasp what genre it fell into – admittedly this was to some extent intentional by Carpenter, but since the script was originally conceived as a Western, it’s clear that things have been conceived in some form along the way.
Film critic Roger Ebert had harsh words for Carpenter and his crew – as did screenwriter, producer and critic Paul Attanasio. They both opened up about their lack of personal connections to the characters, claiming that the film showed a noticeable lack of development in that department. Meanwhile, other creatives, such as the American writer Harlan Ellison, admired the film and its many technical feats.
Almost everyone agreed on one thing: Big problems in Little China will make you laugh, if nothing else. It has crisp timing regarding continuity editing and the script moves along at a remarkable pace. Moreover, it is no surprise that a project classified as fantasy action comedy was not popular among moviegoers. However, as is the case with most cult films, it received huge attention in the home video market after its theatrical release.
Its status as a cult film
In general, there can be two ways to define a cult film. If it failed critically or commercially upon release, but eventually found a hardcore following – especially in the home video market – then yes. It is probably classified as a cult movie. Nowadays, Big problems in Little China is one of the more prominent examples of that to ever exist, really. Such was the case with many films of the 1980s, several of which were also directed by Carpenter. To take The thing (1982), for example. Kurt Russell also played the leading role in it and it also acquired an impressive reputation in later years thanks to its status as a cult classic.
However, The thing made somewhat more money in theaters at the time of release and received slightly better reviews from critics. In the meantime, Christine (1983), They live (1987) and Prince of Darkness (1988) all made more than both The thing And Big problem in Little in Chinabut still received unflattering thoughts from critics upon release.
The thing is, cult films can differ greatly in terms of critical acclaim and commercial success. In other words, while it may not have succeeded in bringing in theatergoers, it may still have made quite an impression on critics. And vice versa. Either way, followers of a particular cult classic will no doubt pay enough attention to the project that people end up creating new content from that respective property.
Spin-offs in other media
Despite a few attempts over the last forty (or so) years to make a sequel, Big problems in Little China remains a standalone project to this day. However, that didn’t stop creators from stamping their personal content notes on the name of the franchise.
A tie-in video game of the same name was released alongside the film for various 8-bit home computers such as the ZC Spectrum, the Commodore 64, and the Amstrad CPC. As you might have guessed, the game received mixed reviews from critics and barely made an impression on sales. But there are also several action lines and vinyl figures, a board game, a card game and many other merchandise items that are all based on Big problems in Little China.
Perhaps the most relevant media cue was the series of comic books written by John Carpenter alongside a relatively unknown writer named Eric Powell. It became such an ambitious comic series that the publisher eventually made a crossover: Big Trouble in Little China / Escape from New York. It featured Jack Burton and Snake Plissken (the main character in Escape from New York) as the two Carpenter characters find themselves in the same world, once again tasked with saving the day.
Its impact on popular culture
This martial arts stint has had an indelible influence on popular culture from around the world, and it’s largely due to its huge presence in the home video market. Deleted scenes, extended endings, and featurettes could be found in original copies of the film on DVD. In addition, the film has been released twice on Blu-ray, the most recent being a Steel Book Collector’s Edition.
The newfound success also led to endless references across various media. Take the character Lo Pan, for example: he has been commented on in all forms of entertainment, such as in comics, first because Marvel’s supervillain The Mandarin was modeled after him in appearance. But he was also alluded to on TV shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), and even musically, as the American rock band “Lo-Pan” was clearly named after James Hong’s character.
One character with sorcery on his side even inspired the Raiden character from the Mortal Kombat series of video games. But despite this many home video releases and references in various forms of entertainment, it has the most impact Big problems in Little China had revolved around its status as a cult film on popular culture. Since the beginning of internet trolling, Jack Burton, Kurt Russell’s character, has been the center of memes galore. While sequels for this particular project haven’t materialized, this could very well stand on its own forever – and it will be remembered as a movie that wasn’t well received at first.