"The sense of fun in that original is missing and the countless smashups and near-misses are orchestrated randomly". Despite the enormous financial success of the original film (grossing over $300 million on a budget of less than $5 million), coupled with respectable (though significantly lower) numbers generated by the sequel, the third installment was both a critical and box office flop, grossing only $7 million against the film's $9 million production budget. References External links 1983 films 1980s action comedy films American action comedy films American sequel films American chase films Films about automobiles 1980s road movies American road movies Smokey and the Bandit Universal Pictures films Trucker films Films directed by Dick Lowry 1983 comedy films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films