It’s a soft start for Karate Kid: Legends, as it takes a swing at the box office with a US$47 million global opening haul, falling slightly behind expectations. Sony’s sequel to the 2010 reboot, starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, aimed for US$25 million at the domestic market but now stands at US$21 million from 3,809 North American venues.
Still, the worldwide haul has already managed to recover its modest reported budget of US$45 million. The sixth feature-length instalment in the franchise scored an A- grade on CinemaScore despite middling reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and marks the franchise’s first new theatrical feature in 15 years. In it, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio, The Outsiders) from the 1984 original reunites with The Karate Kid‘s Mr. Han, played by Chan, with newcomer Ben Wang (American Born Chinese) stepping into the titular role.
The long-running martial arts series enjoyed renewed interest from the Cobra Kai spin-off sequel, which concluded after six seasons. Karate Kid: Legends picks up three years after the latter’s finale, helmed by debutante Jonathan Entwistle.
Overall, the film opened at No. 3 and was beaten by Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, with Disney’s live-action adaptation of the animated classic generating US$610 million globally after two weekends. The Tom Cruise-led action flick is in second place, amassing US$353.8 million worldwide to date.
As for the larger Karate Kid franchise, a total of US$650 million was earned at the global box office (not adjusted for inflation), and US$359 million came from the 2010 reboot. The synopsis for Legends reads:
“After moving to New York City with his mother, kung fu prodigy Li Fong struggles to let go of the past as he tries to fit in with his new classmates. When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competition — but his skills alone aren’t enough. With help from Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso, he soon learns to merge two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown.”
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
Ting Wei
