by Urquidez is so quick that the resulting airflow extinguishes a row of candles. This is shown onscreen, with no cuts or trick photography. Co-star Lola Forner appeared in another Jackie Chan film, Armour of God (1987). Filming Audio commentator Bey Logan explains why Sammo Hung decided to shoot the film outside of Hong Kong. By the time it was made in 1984, shooting in Hong Kong had become practically impossible – firstly, because the action stars had become so famous that they could not walk through the streets with impunity, and secondly due to the mounting difficulties in obtaining a permit from the government in order to film in Hong Kong. Bruce Lee had paved the way for Hong Kong filmmakers shooting abroad with the 1972 film Way of the Dragon, whose location filming was done in Italy, whereas the interiors had been shot at Golden Harvest studio. When Hung took his cast and crew to Barcelona, he wanted to strongly establish the locations in Barcelona as real, and to avoid shooting interiors at Golden Harvest. In comparison to Hong Kong, the Spanish authorities were very cooperative in allowing the use of locations for filming, even for car chases and fight scenes. Reception Box office During its Hong Kong theatrical run, Wheels on Meals grossed 21,465,013 (), becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of the year in Hong Kong. In Taiwan, where it ran during SeptemberOctober 1984, it became the third highest-grossing film of the year, earning (US$601,075). In Japan, where it released as Spartan X, it grossed (), becoming the sixth highest-grossing foreign film of 1985. In South Korea, it was the second highest-grossing film of 1985, with 307,751 box admissions in Seoul, equivalent to an estimated (). Combined, the film's total estimated box office gross in East Asia was approximately , equivalent to adjusted for inflation. Critical response The film was generally well-received by critics. Jamie Havlin of Louder Than War called it "one of the most highly regarded martial-arts comedies ever made." Casimir Harlow of AVForums rated it 9 out of 10, calling it "a hugely fun, thoroughly imaginative and frequently action packed affair." Justin Bowyer of Empire rated it three out of five stars, praising the action and comedy while criticizing the lack of plot. David Rees of Asian Action Cinema rated it 8 out of 10, calling it "an altogether very enjoyable if at times