45 years ago today, Jackie Chan tried his first attempt to break enter the Hollywood with this film

Jackie Chan's movie career spans over six decades now, beginning in 1962 with Big and Little Wong Tin Bar, where he debuted with Sammo Hung, one of the most important figures in the Hong Kong New Wave. He played a singing kid. But it wasn't until 18 years later that he made his first attempt to enter Hollywood.

In 1980, he acted in a movie called The Big Brawl (also called Battle Creek Brawl), an action comedy that was the result of a joint Hong Kong and American co-production. It was released exactly 45 years ago today, on August 29, 1980, in the United States, and made $1.1 million on its opening weekend.

By the time the release was expanded to the United Kingdom, it had already exploded at the box office, making $9 million from theaters. Fast forward to today, he is considered one of the most influential people in the history of cinema. As of this writing, his films have grossed around $6 billion globally.

What is The Big Brawl about?

There's a battle royale on Battle Creek Brawl. (Image via Warner Bros)

It follows Jackie Chan's Jerry Kwan, who finds himself involved with the mob—not intentionally, but because of his fighting skills. The mob is seeking a talent like him so they can defeat a champion of their rival. Kwan is reluctant, but then his brother's fiancée is kidnapped, and now he has to enter this mob-ruled tournament.

As he has no choice but to win the tournament, he still needs to practice, so his uncle Herbert (Makoto Iwamatsu) trains him to become a better fighter who can stand tall in the battles that ensue.

Jackie Chan had to wait for two more attempts after this

Despite the fact that it was becoming a box office success, it was still considered disappointing, as it didn't meet expectations. Though it did, at least, open some doors, as he started getting supporting roles in films including The Cannonball Run (1981) and its sequel (1984).

After that, Jackie Chan again made an attempt to break into Hollywood with The Protector (1985), which was also a joint Hong Kong and American co-production. This was a worse attempt than before. It wasn't even a success in Hong Kong, in contrast to how his films were performing domestically.

It would take ten more years before Chan found major success in Hollywood. The film was called Rumble in the Bronx (1995). This marked a change, as the film was produced entirely in Hong Kong rather than as a joint project.

Rumble in the Bronx became a major success in North America and made $32.3 million at the domestic box office. All in all, it ended up making $76 million on an estimated $13 million budget.

Some of the best roles Jackie Chan has played in Hollywood

Today, Jackie Chan is best known for his roles in major film franchises such as The Karate Kid (as Mr. Han) and Rush Hour (as Chief Inspector Lee opposite Chris Tucker).

There's a fourth Rush Hour movie in development, and Chan sure wants to do it before he turns 100. Similarly, Sir Ian McKellen has also expressed interest in returning to The Lord of the Rings franchise in The Hunt for Gollum, if production moves forward soon. That said, he is also interested in a Shanghai Knights sequel.

Not just that, he has lent his voice in blockbuster films including Kung Fu Panda (2008) and its two sequels as Master Monkey, and in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) as the Turtles' mentor Splinter.