Three decades have passed since the film’s premiere Street Fighter, a film adaptation of the famous video game that, although it was the target of harsh criticism, has achieved the level of a cult film. This recognition is due in part to the stories behind its production, especially those related to its protagonist, Jean-Claude Van Damme.
The actor played Guile, a pilot in the United States Armed Forces; However, his performance on set was marked by substance abuse.
Steven Edward de Souza, director of the film, revealed in an interview with The Guardian, in 2018, that the performer was frequently under the influence of cocaine during filming.
“At that time I couldn’t talk about it, but now I can,” De Souza said. “Jean-Claude was out of his mind from cocaine.” The situation was so problematic that the studio hired a person to supervise it, but this figure ended up being a bad influence.
Jean-Claude called in sick to avoid attending the filming of Street Fighter
The difficulties were not limited to dependence on Van DammeThe director recalled that the actor was frequently absent, forcing constant changes to be made to the script for the film adaptation of Street Fighter.
“He called in sick so many times that I had to find alternatives for filming, I couldn’t wait hours for him,” De Souza explained. On two occasions, producers allowed him to travel to Hong Kong and, on both occasions, he returned late. “On Monday he was just not there,” she added.
According to the media, at that time Jean-Claude He consumed 10 grams of cocaine a day, spending around 10 thousand dollars a week. “He was an interesting man, but extremely difficult to work with. There are a lot of stories I can’t share,” De Souza added.
Street Fighter continues to generate profits for Capcom thirty years after its release
Despite not being well received by critics at the time, the film Street Fighter became a box office hit. Thirty years later, in 2024, the creators of one of the most popular fighting games reveal that they are still making money from the feature film.
During the shareholders meeting of Capcom On June 20, it was reported that the film still generates “tens of millions of yen” for the company. Although exact figures were not specified, the fact that the film continues to be lucrative after three decades is notable.
Capcom remembers this film fondly, despite the problems they faced during its production and the poor critical reception.
Recently, the official account of Street Fighter shared photos of the display cases in its offices containing signed portraits of the lead and supporting actors, highlighting the special place the feature film holds in the company’s history.
Sony has acquired the distribution rights to the film in the United States and has already set a release date for a new adaptation of the video game: March 20, 2026.
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