Synopsis
Adventurer, brain surgeon, rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his crime-fighting team, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, must stop evil alien invaders from the eighth dimension who are planning to conquer Earth.
Scores
Overall Score
57.4
Popularity Percentile (Year)
72.3%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
33.0%
Review Aggregate
66.5
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is mixed, with 64% of 36 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize funny, romantic, satirical. Common reservations focus on execution consistency, even when reviewers praise standout elements.
funnyromanticsatiricalcharacter-drivenemotionalvisually striking
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Weller | 1984 | $1,222,000 | $3,690,000 | (est) |
| John Lithgow | 1984 | $752,000 | $2,271,000 | (est) |
| Ellen Barkin | 1984 | $566,000 | $1,710,000 | (est) |
| Jeff Goldblum | 1984 | $463,000 | $1,398,000 | (est) |
| Christopher Lloyd | 1984 | $396,000 | $1,196,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score67.0
RT critic review count45
Rotten Tomatoes audience score69.0
RT audience rating count10,000
IMDb rating6.2
IMDb votes31,883
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1984 | $6,254,148 | $18,882,832 |
| International | 1984 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 1984 | $6,254,148 | $18,882,832 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1984 | $3,127,074 | $9,441,416 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1984 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1984 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1984 | $4,909,000 | $14,821,495 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1984 | $2,613,000 | $7,889,298 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1984 | $1,500,996 | $4,531,880 |
| Total Revenues | 1984 | $12,150,070 | $36,684,089 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1984 | $17,000,000 | $51,327,238 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1984 | $2,994,000 (est) | $9,039,632 (est) |
| Participations | 1984 | $243,000 | $733,678 |
| Residuals ? | 1984 | $620,000 | $1,871,935 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1984 | $3,400,000 | $10,265,448 |
| Total Expenses | 1984 | $24,257,000 | $73,237,930 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1984 | $-12,106,930 | $-36,553,841 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Back to the Future | 1985 | Shared genres: 3 | 97.9 | $140,846,681 |
 | Guardians of the Galaxy | 2014 | Shared genres: 3 | 97.6 | $72,200,110 |
 | Thor: Ragnarok | 2017 | Shared genres: 3 | 97.1 | $78,916,080 |
 | Spider-Man: Far from Home | 2019 | Shared genres: 3 | 97.0 | $77,501,637 |
 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | 2023 | Shared genres: 3 | 96.5 | $35,967,720 |