Karate Kid: Legends has just recently hit streaming, and it didn’t take long for the movie to make its way up the top charts. The movie made its way to Netflix, which is unsurprising given that the platform is where the Karate Kid sequel series Cobra Kai found its popularity. Originally starting out as a series on YouTube, Cobra Kai would make the switch to Netflix, where the show really found its footing and audience, spawning six seasons total and reinvigorating the franchise that started with Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio in 1984. Now, Karate Kid: Legends follows a new teen fighter, who is trained by Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han from the 2010 Karate Kid as well as Macchio.
Bringing all the Karate Kid films and series into one fictional universe has proven to be successful for Sony and Netflix, as Karate Kid: Legends landed at number eight on the streaming service’s top 10 movies in the U.S. The protagonist of this latest film is Li Fong, played by Ben Wang, an actor who brought an impressive level of authenticity to the role through his commitment to doing most of his own stunts. Chan’s involvement also meant that there would be inspired choreography in the project, with the 71-year-old actor also being part of plenty of his own inspired fight sequences.
Other than Macchio returning as Danie LaRusso, Karate Kid: Legends doesn’t have any direct connections to Cobra Kai, save for one scene at the end of the movie that serves as a fun Easter egg for fans of the Netflix show. An exciting cameo by a fan-favorite further cements that Legends takes place in the same world as the show. There is always the potential of a follow-up film that further explores these connections, but nothing has been announced yet.
‘Karate Kid: Legends’ Didn’t Have as Much Success Compared To Previous Films
While Karate Kid: Legends may have found success on streaming, the audience was rather limited when the film was first in theaters. Unfortunately, Legends was already fighting a losing battle when the movie received a 57% “rotten” rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. The middling reviews for the movie undoubtedly played a role in the box office performance, as Karate Kid: Legends only made $116 million worldwide, and $52 million of that gross was domestic. It made the $45 million production budget back, but failed to come close to the 2010 reboot, which grossed $360 million worldwide.
Still, the film has found its fair share of fans, as is not only evident by the popularity on Netflix but also by the 2,500+ user ratings submitted to Rotten Tomatoes, giving the movie a “verified hot” Popcorn rating on the site. Given the vast number of popular movies that were released during summer, it’s unsurprising that Karate Kid: Legends was mostly left to the wayside. There is also the silver lining that the movie proved Ben Wang to be a star in his own right, and the actor has even given audiences another impressive performance in Francis Lawrence’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel, The Long Walk. Hopefully, streaming success means that future Karate Kid projects still have a chance.
- Release Date
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May 30, 2025
- Runtime
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94 minutes
- Director
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Jonathan Entwistle
- Franchise(s)
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The Karate Kid
