Jackie Chan’s legendary status as a global movie star is already indisputable. He could choose to stop making films today, or continue producing more even if they’re not successful, and his iconic status would remain untouched. His extraordinary talent and dedication to his craft are evident, particularly because he spent much of his career performing his own fight sequences and stunts. Although one scene in “Armor of God” nearly ended his career, Chan continued to risk his life and well-being for the thrill of entertaining audiences worldwide.

It took some time for Chan to achieve stardom in the U.S., but once he did, he quickly rose to become one of Hollywood’s most beloved A-list stars. During the peak of his popularity in Western cinema, he played a pivotal role in persuading Disney to invest over $100 million into remaking the 1956 sci-fi classic “Around the World in 80 Days,” adapted from the Jules Verne novel. This film presented Chan with the opportunity to remake a favorite classic, to finally collaborate with Arnold Schwarzenegger (who made a cameo appearance), and to further solidify his reputation as a leading star in major Hollywood films.

Well, he certainly achieved those first two goals — the third, not so much.

The first feature-length adaptation of “Around the World in 80 Days” appeared in 1956, following an earlier silent short film in 1919 and a 1923 serial sequel. The film starred David Niven as Phileas Fogg, a character who boldly claims he can travel the globe in just eighty days. Set in 1872, at a time when cars and airplanes were nonexistent, this feat seemed almost impossible. Some of Fogg’s wealthier acquaintances bet against his ability to achieve this endeavor. Enlisting his assistant, Jean Passepartout, played by Cantinflas, Fogg embarks on a world-spanning adventure filled with fascinating characters and breathtaking locales as they negotiate, haggle, and charm their way across various forms of travel.

“Around the World in 80 Days” was a big hit upon release and went on to be nominated for eight Oscars, winning for best picture, best adapted screenplay, best cinematography, best editing, and best score. Even more impressive is that it won best picture over heavyweights “The King and I” and “The Ten Commandments.” The movie also took home Golden Globes for best motion picture – drama, and best supporting actor – musical or comedy for Cantinflas. In addition, the film’s three-man writing team won a Writers Guild of America award for best-written American comedy.

The movie’s legacy is a bit more gray, however. It is sometimes considered one of the worst best picture Oscar winners, and the Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus — which consists entirely of modern retrospect reviews — calls it “undeniably shallow” while giving it a fairly soft 72%.

Though there was a Three Stooges send-up in 1963 and the loosely inspired-by “Tweety’s High-Flying Adventure” direct-to-video movie in 2000, there wouldn’t be another feature-length film version of “Around the World in 80 Days” until Jackie Chan’s version arrived in 2004. In Chan’s defense, it was a project that had been kicking around since at least 1999 and saw several writers, directors, and stars come and go before things were finalized with Chan as Passepartout, Steve Coogan as Phileas Fogg, and Frank Coraci directing. Once things got rolling with this version, everyone involved had high hopes and boundless optimism for the movie — so much so that its $110 million-plus budget was already set before the film even landed official distribution.

It was ultimately Disney that bought in, and the studio set about heavily marketing the movie ahead of a prime June release date. The first sign of trouble came in the form of the reviews, which sported an overwhelmingly negative response mixed with so-called positive write-ups that could only manage to muster descriptors like “mildly amusing.”

But at the end of the day, all that really matters is what the viewing public thinks and whether or not they show up. Well, they didn’t — the film’s opening weekend tally didn’t even top $8 million. By the end of its theatrical run, “Around the World in 80 Days” only made $72 million. When factoring in marketing costs and everything else, it’s estimated that the movie lost about $100 million. This is a distinction that not only ranks “Around the World in 80 Days” among the hugest and most-forgotten Disney flops, but also among Jackie Chan’s own worst-performing productions where he was the headliner.