Street Fighter movie KO'd at BO

After being the subject of fans' derision for months and critics' barbs for hours, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li finally hit movie theaters last Friday. The result was the equivalent of a merciless smackdown by the rubber-limbed Dhalsim in Street Fighter IV. According to Hollywood trade...

After being the subject of fans' derision for months and critics' barbs for hours, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li finally hit movie theaters last Friday. The result was the equivalent of a merciless smackdown by the rubber-limbed Dhalsim in Street Fighter IV. According to Hollywood trade Variety, the film took in just $4.7 million at 1,136 locations, making it the eighth-highest-grossing film of the weekend. It was beaten by top finisher Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail and fellow debut The Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li stars Kristen Kreuk (Smallville, pictured) as the titular fighter, who takes a break from being a professional concert pianist to track down her long-lost father. Said paterfamilias is being held by crime boss Bison (Band of Brothers' Neal McDonough), and Chun-Li must enlist the services of ancient martial-arts master Gen (Mortal Kombat's Robin Shou) and Interpol agent Charlie Nash (Election's Chris Klein).

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li costars Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile) as heavy baddie Balrog, with Moon Bloodgood (Journeyman), Edmund Chen (the original Hong Kong version of The Eye), rapper Taboo (of the Black Eyed Peas), and Shaw Bros. legend Chang Pei Pei (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) in supporting roles. The Legend of Chun-Li was directed by former cinematographer Andrzej Bartkowiak, who is already infamous among gamers for his direction of the slightly less panned big-screen version of Doom.

266 Comments

  • DredWulf

    Posted Jul 25, 2009 4:35 pm PT

    I heard critics say this movie is so bad that the first movie was actually better...how is that even possible?

  • Brak_N_Zorak

    Posted Jul 25, 2009 1:00 pm PT

    Kristen Kreuk is cute so i'll watch it for her. Moon Bloodgood is cute so i'll watch it for her.

  • jjwalker9600

    Posted Jul 24, 2009 5:27 pm PT

    I just watched the Street Fighter movie last nite and it wasn't that bad. I really don't know what people expect from the movie. U want a movie like Mortal Kombat?

  • tequilero

    Posted Jul 10, 2009 2:22 pm PT

    I dont want to see more SF movies,they suck.

  • nyranasaurus

    Posted Mar 29, 2009 11:08 am PT

    why, why, why , why ,whyWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY. WHy do they continue to make bad game movies?. WHO THE HELL are they hiring to write the scipts for these game movies. Predator was a movie about a guy and an alien beating the crap out of each other. Easy, that movie worked. Alien was about an Alien on a ship theat terrorized its passengers. Good writer, good script, THAT WORKED. Castaway is about ONE FRIGGIN GUY ON A BEACH with a basketball for 2 and 1/2 hours, but get a good writer and a good premise and hey presto that works too. Bloodsport my all time favourite beat em up fighting movie was just about a guy that fought in a competition, good writer decent premise Great movie and it kicked serious ass.

    SO WHY THE FCK CANT THEY MAKE A MOVIE (street Fighter) that involves 12-15 awesome characters and a head honcho creating a world wide scale fighting ring where the competitors travel around the whole world to different locations to fight and kill one another. You get M.Bison evil guy has lots of investors, they invest in a tournament around the world, people start dying , police get suspicious with these underground battles going on in different locations and RYU AND KEN FIght to the death at the end. SIMPLE,done ,lots of fighting, great story, theres the movie. So why arent I seeing it?

  • garey017

    Posted Mar 11, 2009 1:11 pm PT

    Kristen Kreuk played Chun-Li? Wait, why doesn't that seem right?

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Mar 10, 2009 8:09 pm PT

    If this show does not use the Street Fighter canon, it would be decent. But it does, and it amounts to nothing more than an insulting sacrilege.

  • FOBlO

    Posted Mar 10, 2009 7:51 pm PT

    Kristin Kreuk does not really know how to speak Mandarin, even her mother does not speak Mandarin or Cantonese. In the movie, it really shows. Casting for Vega was really bad, he was suppose to be a pretty boy not an ugly boy. Duncan who played Balrog, was good casting but this guy didn't display any boxing skills. Rose is supposed to be Bison's (Vega japan) daughter, where did it say that in the back story of street fighter. They should of dyed Chris Klein's hair to blond. There is not many fighting in this movie and I can go all day long how bad this movie is.

  • guimarin182

    Posted Mar 10, 2009 3:01 pm PT

    It is not THAT bad,for a game-based movie,but is not a masterpiece

  • dblockgangstar

    Posted Mar 10, 2009 1:53 pm PT

    And Another thing, Its just like playing the many games the released over the years, not all were good but you still played them and semi enjoyed them.......

  • dblockgangstar

    Posted Mar 10, 2009 1:52 pm PT

    Dammit, This looked so good, i dident see it but from what i hear it seems to be pretty bad, but f*** it ima go see it anyway, Rember when u were like 8 or 9 and you seen the original movie? Thats the kinda attitude you have to have people. its STREET FIGHTER FOR CHRIST SAKE!!!!!!!!!

  • superasianaaron

    Posted Mar 9, 2009 9:57 pm PT

    To me it was a horrible movie, I saw it as a low budget movie when Chun li threw her projectile Koshuu Tou to Bison and it looked so cheesy. I bet I could do the same with adobe effects. I had more fun watching the 1990's Street Fighter Movie at least they got some parts right in there. Also what was up with Bison having to pull a baby out with his bare hands, did he use some kind of Psycho power to do it

  • fonso510

    Posted Mar 9, 2009 10:21 am PT

    OMFG this movie sucked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it "There is a fighter from Japan RYU something." !!!!!!!!RYU SOMETHING!!!!!!!! Why didn't you guys say KEN MASTERS from United States!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hollywood what am I going to do with you??????

  • uncannyone53543

    Posted Mar 9, 2009 9:44 am PT

    To all the people wondering, the DB movie is based on the manga/anime series, not the games, which incidentally, are also based off the manga/anime.

  • uncannyone53543

    Posted Mar 9, 2009 9:37 am PT

    Can't be as bad as Street Fighter: The Movie...THAT was an atrocity and a half.

  • nguyenvandau

    Posted Mar 9, 2009 6:20 am PT

    what the, they put a skinny girl to star as chun-li "No Offence". But martial artist chun-li should be well built with tight tit and tight butts and legs etc..they should research more about the appearance of the main star before making the movie...
    they sure ruing the appearance of chun-li that we all SF fan longly thought about her

  • Omega-Protoman

    Posted Mar 9, 2009 5:28 am PT

    Meh, I read this and the first thing I thought was "That came out? Oh." Doesn't sound like I really missed anything though.

  • silentkill62696

    Posted Mar 9, 2009 3:06 am PT

    For those of you saying its not a racial thing, it most definately is, don't try to hide or lie to urselves. Chun Li in game is pure Chinese and looks chinese, not a mixed chinese. For those of you saying that im just being fickle about the race issue. Let me ask you, how many of you would dare watch Harry Potter if Harry was mixed European and Asian and not think something was up? The same dam thing happened in the movie 21. The main actor was based on an asian person in real life, yet a white actor (not even mixed or pure asian), was made the main character.

  • KingMeier

    Posted Mar 8, 2009 5:08 pm PT

    It was nonsense. The story was poor and the cast of actors were not right (except for Clarke Duncan that played Balrog). Doom was better than this.

  • ordion2323

    Posted Mar 7, 2009 5:57 pm PT

    I can't believe anyone wanted to see this movie.

  • frazzle00

    Posted Mar 7, 2009 2:26 pm PT

    @seiferstrike

    "beated this 1 on earnings" .... ROFLOL.

    Just because a movie does better at the box office than another movie, does NOT mean that the movie itself is better. Dude how old are you? 8? 9? Go back to school buddy.

  • seiferstrike

    Posted Mar 7, 2009 7:37 am PT

    is it just me or they made a complete new story here? @ flawless_blade, apparently it is, since that movie u mentioned beated this 1 on earnings

  • dennishachey

    Posted Mar 7, 2009 2:02 am PT

    IT WAS NOUTHNG LIKE THE GAME BUT IT WAS OK

  • NINJASMOKER

    Posted Mar 6, 2009 9:32 pm PT

    Even though I subjected my eyes to this horror I'm still a huge fan of the Street Fighter franchise because it's not their fault word to the wise do not go see this movie you will regret it, trust me on this. Ha ha ha ha

  • NINJASMOKER

    Posted Mar 6, 2009 9:28 pm PT

    This movie was the purest form of crap on screen. I was very diappointed because I didn't think it would blow big time like the first one but it did, this movie had the worse stunts and martial arts choreaography and speaking of that on one of the scenes when kristen kreuk does so called front flip I don't know what happened but the actual woman doing the flip was a 10 foot tall white woman doing the acrobatics. And don't get me started on the acting, which was horrible, not on everybody's part but Chris Klein what the hell happened I mean I've seen his other movies which his acting has been you know normal/somewhat good now I don't know if the director told him to act like he did in this movie but if he didn't all I have to say is good luck gettin another job pal cause, damn. Before I sign off whoever did the casting where Bison is concern--horrible job, overall the acting and especially the story disappointed me very much, never again never the hell again.

  • flawless_blade

    Posted Mar 6, 2009 8:58 pm PT

    lol, cant be worse than "The Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience"

  • michal_83

    Posted Mar 6, 2009 3:26 pm PT

    Its a crap.Waste of time, and money.With this one its a mistake of great Capcom.

  • Saint_Ducky

    Posted Mar 6, 2009 10:09 am PT

    I can't really say that I didn't expect this. It might have been better animated?

  • JimmyCos

    Posted Mar 5, 2009 6:36 pm PT

    yeah, the first movie was....fun to watch, it's another history

  • hyperwangtang

    Posted Mar 5, 2009 4:15 pm PT

    O gawd WHY?
    TT^TT

  • frazzle00

    Posted Mar 5, 2009 11:17 am PT

    Mr_Koenshaku

    I completely agree with you about the first Street Fighter movie. The first time I watched it I hated it. I was (and still am) a diehard fan of the Street Fighter franchise, and I went into the first movie expecting an almost literal translation of the games. Naturally this wasn't the case and I was sorely disappointed.

    I did however watch the movie again 2 years ago, with a more open mind this time, and to my huge surprise I was immensely entertained. The movie's campy vibe , the numerous Street Fighter in-jokes for the fans, and a deliberate silliness that (if you're not going to be a SF fanboy) actually works, all make the movie very watchable. I know this is going to invoke the ire of everyone else but a subsequent viewing of Super Mario Bros. has left me feeling the same way about yet another oft panned videogame movie.

    I am not sure how I'll find this movie (although I do intend to go watch it ), but I hated the director's previous effort Doom (it honestly had no redeeming features whatsoever) so I am not holding my breath. Then again going into this movie with an open mind and no expectations might be a better move .

  • Mr_Koenshaku

    Posted Mar 5, 2009 8:35 am PT

    Kinda funny, even though I hated it like everyone else back when it came out, I love the first Street Fighter movie now. It's so spectacularly goofy it's hard not to be entertained by it (especially Raul Julia as Bison!) If you're willing to believe the director, a lot of it really was meant to be funny, too.

    I've heard the 'awful' DOA flick was a similar brand of silly fun, too... so the negative hype on this definitely has me curious. More than I probably should be.

  • Ian_Michael

    Posted Mar 5, 2009 4:24 am PT

    Could've at least had Zhang Ziyi played the part of Chun-li, sheesh. Definitely a rental.

  • DEATH775

    Posted Mar 4, 2009 7:17 pm PT

    Why couldn't it be great as the anime movie?

  • frazzle00

    Posted Mar 4, 2009 4:31 pm PT

    @nappan

    I think that's true as well (after all I did mention how using Eurasians or very westernized Asians would make it an easier sell for audiences). It is sad though that Hollywood is too concerned with their bottom line to do anything about this. But hey, that's life .

  • nappan

    Posted Mar 4, 2009 3:01 pm PT

    @frazzle00 You won't get any argument from me as to racism in hollywood and elsewhere. I would say that I think it's intolerance in the audience that dictates these things more than anyone in movieland. If something "radical" tests well, and promises that it can sell, studios make them. They wouldn't make shakespeare unless it tested well... lol

  • djTeka

    Posted Mar 4, 2009 1:30 pm PT

    You guys are slacking on your TV watching if you never saw any commercials for this movie. (Please don't give me the "We have girlfriends, lives, jobs, wives" bit, it doesn't work, since I have all of the above, [except the wife part])

    I saw tons of ads for this movie, also Street Fighter IV, I just knew it was going to suck, in my mind. If they kept the title a secret until the end of the trailer, like most movie trailers do, instead of announcing it right at the beginning, it may have looked better to me, I don't really know. I'll ask someone I know if they saw it and if it was good *to them*.

  • Audi-To

    Posted Mar 4, 2009 10:38 am PT

    I really didn't even know this movie existed. Where were the ads? Guess even the producers thought the movie was bad to advertise. I'll pass the movie and play SF4!!

  • Sleezinator

    Posted Mar 4, 2009 8:11 am PT

    I think I'll just watch smallville...

  • spobobich

    Posted Mar 3, 2009 10:52 pm PT

    Y'know, the movie wasn’t good... but, it wasn’t bad either. It was "meh". If anything, it made up for the Van Dam flop.

    The problem was that it wasn’t taken seriously. I mean other movies around that time this movie was advertised had more than one commercial. This had only one. And it wasn’t a good one either. Kristen Kreuk may be some what Chinese or whatever. She looks nothing Asian. And she wasn’t a cop? C'mon!

    And what's up with Gen and Charlie. The guy who played Charlie shouldn’t have played Charlie. Should of bed a detective, but not Charlie. Gen should have been played by an old man; Robin Shou should of stick with Mortal Kombat. Vega was a wimp; the animated fight was waaaaaaaaaaaaay better.

    And no red suit on Bison? Bison wears the suit because he's bad ass! Nobody would make fun of him because he can kill them.

    The final straw was cameo's... as in none. I mean, C'mon! They barely mention Ryu. And no Cammy? If anything, the Dolls should have been in the movie!

    The only thing they got right was Balrog. At least he wasn’t a Dumb-ass.

    Fox and Capcom owe me Ten Bucks... better make it twelve, so they'll learn.

  • Jedited255

    Posted Mar 3, 2009 10:26 pm PT

    I remember hearing about this movie on the Hotspot and just recently i started seeing the trailer for it. Didn't really say anything about the story just that it was "Street Fighter".

  • larumba

    Posted Mar 3, 2009 9:47 pm PT

    well it was advertised that the movie will suck

  • gameking5000

    Posted Mar 3, 2009 9:40 pm PT

    Your right, AntoniustheGrey

    I had no idea that it was even made!

  • tawagivercetti

    Posted Mar 3, 2009 8:37 pm PT

    good point, there was no advertising......
    how you screw up a movie about the hottest woman in videogame history is beyond me.
    and btw Chun-li is CHINESE not american
    give this to an asian director maybe they make the best fighting films.

  • AntoniustheGrey

    Posted Mar 3, 2009 6:58 pm PT

    I really didn't even know this existed. Where were the ads? Not that I would have watched it.

  • sonic_nhl

    Posted Mar 3, 2009 4:06 pm PT

    What did you expect? i knew it was going to bomb the moment i saw the commericial.

    But hey, i dont think this movie is THAT bad, i mean yeah the first SF movie was terrible, as well as Mortal Kombat's 2nd movie *The first was actually good IMO*

    But hey, relax, nothing can be as craptacular as the Super Mario Bros movie. when it comes to Video Games turned movies.

  • Timstuff

    Posted Mar 3, 2009 3:50 pm PT

    4 million isn't bad considering the movie wasn't even advertised.

  • Gblazer01

    Posted Mar 3, 2009 3:21 pm PT

    i hate when hollywood makes anime shows or video games into movies.Most of them ruin the it seriously

  • dev8stator_Ic9

    Posted Mar 3, 2009 2:17 pm PT

    Oh! I almost forgot! EP Daily on G4 were giving out movie passes for this movie in a contest. Uhh, no thanks.

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