On this day, February 12, 1987, Over the Top, the Sylvester Stallone arm-wrestling drama, premiered in Los Angeles and New York, with a worldwide release the next day.
The film followed Lincoln Hawk (Stallone), a struggling trucker who enters the world of professional arm wrestling to reconnect with his estranged son and win a high-stakes championship in Las Vegas. Packed with training montages, dramatic father-son moments, and over the top action (pun intended), the movie became a cult classic despite mixed reviews and underwhelming box office numbers.
While Over the Top didn’t achieve blockbuster success, it gained a loyal fan base and remains a so bad it’s good favorite among 80s action movie lovers.
80s insight: Sylvester Stallone initially didn’t want to be in the movie, but the studio kept increasing his paycheck until he finally agreed, saying: "What the hell? Nobody will see it." He was ultimately paid a record breaking $10 million for his role.
The film followed Lincoln Hawk (Stallone), a struggling trucker who enters the world of professional arm wrestling to reconnect with his estranged son and win a high-stakes championship in Las Vegas. Packed with training montages, dramatic father-son moments, and over the top action (pun intended), the movie became a cult classic despite mixed reviews and underwhelming box office numbers.
While Over the Top didn’t achieve blockbuster success, it gained a loyal fan base and remains a so bad it’s good favorite among 80s action movie lovers.
80s insight: Sylvester Stallone initially didn’t want to be in the movie, but the studio kept increasing his paycheck until he finally agreed, saying: "What the hell? Nobody will see it." He was ultimately paid a record breaking $10 million for his role.
