Karate Kid: Legends is already kicking up dust overseas, scoring a solid start at the international box office even before touching down in the US. The film, which is releasing early in parts of Latin America, has quietly crossed its first major box office milestone, pulling in $11.5 million (per Box Office Mojo) from just ten days of limited international screenings.
Karate Kid: A Legacy That Keeps Adapting
It’s interesting how the franchise has evolved over the years. The 2010 reboot might have faded from casual memory, but its box office numbers tell a different story, as it collected over $350 million globally on a relatively modest budget. That’s more than any other Karate Kid entry, even unadjusted for inflation.
For comparison, the original film made $90 million in its day, and the second pulled in over $110 million. The least successful remains The Next Karate Kid from 1994, which barely reached $15 million. Despite highs and lows, the brand has aged well, surviving VHS, thriving in the DVD age, and now living again through streaming. (via Collider)
The latest instalment, Karate Kid: Legends, is the sixth entry in the long-running franchise that started in 1984. Back then, The Karate Kid introduced audiences to a classic underdog tale. Now, Legends bridges the past and the present by reuniting Ralph Macchio with Jackie Chan, merging the original films with the 2010 reboot, where Chan featured prominently. The two eras finally meet under the direction of Jonathan Entwistle.
The story continues after the 2010 film’s timeline, where Jaden Smith once took the spotlight, and also follows the events of Cobra Kai, the spinoff series that brought fresh life to the saga by showing things from Johnny Lawrence’s point of view. That Netflix show wrapped up this year, and with its popularity still riding high, Sony seems to have chosen the right moment to bring this hybrid sequel-reboot into the ring.
Leading the new charge in Legends is Ben Wang, serving as the franchise’s fresh face. His character, a Chinese-American teen, relocates to New York City with his mother, portrayed by Ming-Na Wen. According to Collider, the other faces who join them in the cast are Joshua Jackson and Sadie Stanley.
By the time Karate Kid: Legends lands in US theaters on May 30, it’ll be going head to head with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which is already expected to dominate the box office.
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
