Some movies are made with an expectation that they will become a huge hit. The makers make sure everything is perfect—the story, the casting, the locations, and the music. But the thing about movies is, even when everything seems right, audiences might still reject them. Something like this happened to one of the biggest movies made during the 1980s. It had a massive budget, a good ensemble cast and the much-needed drama and intrigue. Yet, it turned out to be one of the biggest flops.
Directed by Ravi Chopra and produced by BR Chopra, the movie we are talking about is The Burning Train. The movie had a star-studded cast, consisting of 10 actors—Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Jeetendra, Hema Malini, Parveen Babu, Neetu Kapoor, Vinod Mehra, Danny Denzongpa, Navin Nischol, and Simi Garewal. It is a remake of the 174 Hollywood film titled The Towering Inferno.
When The Burning Train was released in theatres, it was criticised for its lengthy run time. The action thriller was made on a budget of Rs 30 crore and earned only Rs 6 crore at the box office. It took the makers at least five years to complete the film and money was also spent on its special effects. As per the reports, the makers hired at least 400 junior artists to be a part of the Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Hema Malini, and Neetu Kapoor starrer.
Despite putting in all the effort and spending a lot in every department, the movie failed to impress the masses. Thus, the movie terribly failed at the box office. It’s not often we see movies like this made nowadays where the cast consists of such big stars. We wonder how a film like this would earn if made on such an enormous budget and star-studded ensemble.
