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Will Smith’s name has long been associated with success — from his days as The Fresh Prince to ruling box office charts with blockbuster after blockbuster. However, it now appears that the star is facing turbulent times, both financially and personally. Recent reports suggest the actor is quietly trying to steady a sinking ship, with property sales, career slowdowns, and his strained relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith all adding to the pressure.

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Selling Properties To Manage Rising Expenses?

According to recent reports from The Blast, Smith is quietly selling some of his homes to handle growing financial pressure. Earlier this year, he listed a home in Woodland Hills for $2 million and sold a five-bedroom mansion in Maryland for about $795K. It seems that these moves are being made to bring in quick cash as expenses continue to rise.

Director James Gunn’s Superman has now officially passed the first important box office milestone in any tent pole’s theatrical journey. Because most of these films cost around $200 million to produce, it is believed that they absolutely must generate at least $400 million worldwide to break even. Supermantook just 10 days to hit the $400 million mark, and the movie is now on its way to meeting its projected lifetime haul of over $700 million. If it does so, it would overtake Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, which concluded its run with just under $700 million worldwide. For now, however, Superman can bask in the success of passing one of director M. Night Shyamalan’s top-grossing films.

Superman’s $416 million running global haul puts it $8 million ahead of Shyamalan’s Signs, which debuted a little over two decades ago. Starring Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Abigail Breslin and Rory Culkin, the movie was produced...

Will Smith may be the owner of a $350 million net worth, but recent controversies don’t really seem to be helping him out with his finances. Per the latest reports, the actor is currently struggling with money.

According to insider sources’ claims, he and his estranged wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, have reportedly been downsizing their enormous property holdings. This includes them having listed their Woodland Hills home in March for $2 million, as well as his previous sale of a five-bedroom Maryland mansion for $795,000.

However, he is still reported to be struggling to foot the tremendous upkeep costs that are currently burning a major hole in his enormous bank account as his career dwindles. As sources claimed to RadarOnline.com in a report published on July 22,

They’re spending an absolute fortune maintaining the rest of their properties, and somewhere down the road it’s all going to fall to pieces.

Jaden Smith and Kylie Jenner were reportedly an item during the 2013-2014 period. During one of their date outings, Smith famously rocked a very legit Iron Man suit. He wasn’t putting himself out there for Marvel to spot him, but he tried to engage with a few friends and fans in the costume. Jenner didn’t seem bothered by the After Earth actor appearing in a costume.

The son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith enjoyed some good food at a sushi joint with Jenner earlier that day, before they stepped out for some shopping. It was during this shopping spree that Smith grabbed the Iron Man costume for himself and changed into it without a second thought.

When the pictures of Jaden Smith in the Iron Man suit with Kylie Jenner by his side went viral at the time, people wanted to know whether Jenner was the Pepper...

The Karate Kid is an ’80s icon. It was an underdog story which used the burgeoning martial arts movement in the US to capture the fight to survive adolescence and enchant the imagination of a generation.

We love The Karate Kid here on HeyUGuys, and recently looked back at the franchise as it endured through the decades, with sequels, a reboot and a stunningly successful TV show in Cobra Kai. With this year’s release of Karate Kid: Legends the stage has been set for a new generation. Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han teams up with the original Karate Kid Daniel Larusso (a welcome return to the big screen for Ralph Macchio) to blend their distinctive styles to guide Ben Wang’s Li Fong in a combative, coming of age blockbuster.

As the Home Premiere of Karate Kid: Legends has arrived there has never been a better time to dive...

Jaden Smith has largely disappeared from his on-screen roles in recent years. He has also had long periods of absence from acting in the past. His last major on-screen appearance was alongside Cara Delevingne in the 2020 film Life in a Year. Smith hasn’t officially announced his retirement from acting, but it appears that he has shifted his focus to music, where he’s more successful.

Will Smith’s son first impressed us with his performance in The Pursuit of Happyness, which won multiple awards. He played 5-year-old Christopher Gardner Jr. in the film. He later appeared as Dre Parker alongside the legendary Jackie Chan in The Karate Kid.

Both this film and his collaboration with Justin Bieber for the song, Never Say Never, elevated his popularity at the time. He later released his debut mixtape, The Cool Cafe: Cool Tape Vol. 1, in 2012. However, he was devastated after his lead...

Earlier today, Justin Bieber shocked the music world by releasing his first album in four years with less than 24 hours' notice.

And now Swag, the Canadian pop star's seventh studio album, is out in the world, and critics are weighing in on their initial reactions to the record.

Across the board, music writers are recognizing this as something other than a triumphant pop return for Bieber, who has become a father since 2021's Justice. Swag is emotional and confessional that feels at least somewhat new for Bieber.

"Within a couple tracks of Swag, it’s pretty clear this is Bieber as we’ve never really heard him before — stripped of most of his usual big pop trappings, with a much more organic-sounding, alt-r&b-focused sound aided by recognizable sonic architects like Dijon, Mk.Gee and new primary artistic partner Carter Lang supporting his tender ballads of love and devotion," writes Billboard's Andrew Unterberger.

"Cobra Kai" is the best thing to happen to the "Karate Kid" franchise since we first heard Joe Esposito's "You're the Best" in the 1984 original film. This is a legacy sequel done right, a TV show that understood what made the original films so successful and so beloved (even the nearly universally maligned "Karate Kid Part III"), while also carving its own path and identity. Indeed, the appeal of "Cobra Kai" is that it serves as a fantastic reversal of the original movie, with a new generation taking the place of the original characters, a new karate kid who learns to defend himself before having a brief turn to the dark side, and a struggling mentor who learns to embrace balance.

But it also served as the best possible scenario for a continuation of the original trilogy, catching up not only with Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel Larusso...

It's probably not a great sign when a franchise movie grosses less than a third at the box office than its predecessor, but that's unfortunately the fate that has befallen Sony's Karate Kid: Legends. Even as the studio enjoys the success of Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later, which is only a week old and already the highest-grossing installment of the series, Karate Kid: Legends is hobbling towards the finish line with a smaller haul. The movie didn't even come close to challenging the 2010 reboot starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. But ahead of its digital debut, the film passed its first (and what will likely be its final) global box office milestone.

With around $51 million each domestically and from overseas markets, the movie's cumulative global haul now stands at $102 million. The good news is that it costs only around $45 million to produce, which means that it's probably already profitable,...

Still Kicking The recently released 'Karate Kid: Legends' marks the sixth feature film installment in the 'Karate Kid' franchise. But this is by no means the sudden rebirth of a dormant property- it’s the latest chapter in a long, winding saga of reboots, remakes, and reimaginings (oh my!) that has been intermittently simmering for decades. In fact, 'Legends' may say less about the enduring popularity of 'The Karate Kid' itself and more about the broader cultural obsession with nostalgia- and how Hollywood continues to exploit it. The 'Karate Kid' franchise has never truly vanished. After the original trilogy centered on Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio)- ‘The Karate Kid' Parts I (1984), II (1986), and III (1989)- there came 'The Next Karate Kid' in 1994. That film attempted to reinvigorate the formula by introducing a new protagonist, Julie Pierce, played by a young Hilary Swank.

"Karate Kid: Legends" is a whole lot of movie. More specifically , this "Karate Kid" legacy sequel is two different movies awkwardly stitched together. Directed by John Entwistle, "Legends" serves as a sequel to both the 1984 "The Karate Kid" and the 2010 reboot/remake of the same name starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan.

In "Legends," the new "karate kid" is not actually a complete underdog; in fact, he has a lot of experience in kung fu. Ben Wang stars as Li Fong, who moves from the big city to a smaller place, gets a crush on a girl, and makes an enemy out of her violent karate-enthusiast ex-boyfriend. Except, there's more to this movie than that, and that includes a bizarre subplot about Li coaching his new girlfriend's dad to utilize kung fu in a boxing match.

Of course, Li also enters a karate tournament himself because it wouldn't be a "Karate Kid" movie without one.

After Cobra Kai’s success, Karate Kid: Legends was supposed to be the movie that kept the franchise’s hype alive. It was the much-anticipated sixth installment, headlined by Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, who reprised their fan-favorite roles in the movie. While everyone expected something refreshing like the Netflix series, Legends didn’t deliver a solid punch, and that has reflected in its box office numbers.

It felt so underwhelming that even Jaden Smith’s 2010 remake has emerged more successful among the two films. So, why did the multi-starrer feature fall behind? What could they have improved, and learned from Chan and Smith’s movie?

The harsh reality of Karate Kid: Legends’ poor box office performance A still from Karate Kid: Legends | Credits: Columbia Pictures

Karate Kid: Legends was made on a budget of $45 million, and after more than three weeks of its theatrical release, it has only managed...

While the summer movie season has already delivered a string of hit movies, two heavy hitters have surprisingly fallen short of expectations. Joining From the World of John Wick: Ballerina on this list is Karate Kid: Legends, the latest installment in the long-running sports franchise. The movie serves as a legacy sequel of sorts to both the original series and the 2010 reboot starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. However, it has grossed less than a third of that movie so far, and is unlikely to generate much more as it finds itself being tackled by new competition week after week.

With a hair under $50 million domestically and around $48 million from overseas markets, Karate Kid: Legends is essentially neck-and-neck with Ballerina. The movie has grossed a cumulative total of $99 million worldwide, compared to Ballerina’s running global haul of over $100 million. However, the John Wick spin-off cost around twice as much as Karate Kid: Legends,...

Across six seasons, Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg successfully brought back a surprising number of Karate Kid alumni, but one major name remained absent: Hilary Swank

Swank starred in The Next Karate Kid as Julie Pierce, Mr. Miyagi’s latest pupil. Although the film isn’t anyone’s favourite installment of the franchise, fans were still eager to see Swank return. While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Heald said they reached out to Swank’s representatives as they were preparing the sixth and final season.

“We did reach out in the very early days before the season to see if there was a path [for her to appear],” Heald said. “We had an inkling of an idea about how she could come into this story and not have to commit to 10 episodes or something. It was going to feel like it could be a one- or two-episode arc, similar to...

Throughout his time in WWE, Shawn Michaels has seamlessly evolved into various roles, a legendary in-ring performer, a founding member of D-Generation X, and now a mentor to the next generation of superstars. In every role, his hard work and dedication have consistently reflected the kind of person he is beyond the spotlight.

Even after he retired from professional wrestling, fans admire and celebrate the iconic moments he has given to the WWE universe. The wrestling community has long wanted a biopic celebrating his life, and Shawn Michaels has a clear pick for who should play his role on the big screen.

Shawn Michaels reveals the name of the actor he’d want to see playing his role in a movie Shawn Michaels is entering the ring. (Image Credit: WWE)

The choice of the protagonist in Shawn Michaels’ mind for his biopic was revealed via an Instagram post shared by Nxt,...

Will Smith’s attempt at a comeback in the music world has met with criticism from all over. Fans have found his new song, Pretty Girls, and its music video pretty cringeworthy. In the song, Smith professes his love (some would say lust) for pretty girls, whether they are “vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, lemon”, or any other flavor. Yes, it’s that bad!

One of the biggest issues with the song was its tempo, which felt off for many fans. It’s truly surprising, given that he collaborated with DJ Jazzy Jeff. Smith and Jeff paired together for the ’90s hits, including Summertime and Boom! Shake the Room. However, fans on X found a way to make it sound much better.

Will Smith’s song Pretty Girls turns into a banger after fans fix it Will Smith in the music video of Pretty Girls | Credits: Slang

Will Smith‘s new song follows his fifth album,...

Surrounded (and overwhelmed) by competition, Sony’s Karate Kid: Legends still hasn’t passed its first major global box office milestone. The movie has completed two full weeks of release in domestic theaters, plus another couple of weeks in certain overseas markets. This weekend, Karate Kid: Legends dropped out of the top five list thanks to the arrival of two major new releases, Universal’s How to Train Your Dragon remake, and A24’s Materialists.

Karate Kid: Legends had already taken a hit last week from Ballerina, and debuted in the wake of the record-breaking Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and Disney’s Lilo & Stitch remake. In a nutshell, it wasn’t the ideal position for a reboot of a fan-favorite franchise to be in. With nearly $45 million at the domestic box office and another $45 million from overseas markets, the film’s cumulative global haul now stands at $90 million.

Being Jackie Chan’s son might seem like hitting the jackpot, fame, fortune, and a last name everyone knows. But for Jaycee Chan, it wasn’t that simple. While his dad was out flipping off buildings and building a $400 million legacy, Jaycee was trying to figure out who he was outside of that massive spotlight.

Everyone knew Jackie, but few really saw Jaycee. Thus, instead of copying the family formula of action and stunts, he chose a different lane. From college life in the U.S. to carving a name in Hong Kong, Jaycee’s journey has been less about fame and more about freedom…

Jaycee Chan didn’t want to be a second Jackie Chan…

Jaycee Chan was born into a world where fame was the family business. With Jackie Chan as his father, the martial arts legend known for leaping off skyscrapers and charming audiences worldwide, it would...

(L-r) Jackie Chan, Ben Wang and Ralph Macchio in Columbia Pictures Karate Kid: Legends Photo By Jonathan Wenk Copyright © 2024 Ctmg, Inc. All Rights Reserved. **All Images Are Property Of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc The Karate Kid franchise has been throwing punches and teaching life lessons for over four incredible decades! From the iconic original films to the 2010 reboot featuring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, and of course, the smash-hit series Cobra Kai that reignited our love for the original characters and storylines, this saga just keeps evolving. And now, the highly anticipated Karate Kid: Legends steps into the ring! This isn’t just a sequel — it’s a moment fans have been waiting for. Karate Kid: Legends brings together two legends: Jackie Chan from the 2010 reboot and Ralph Macchio, the original Karate Kid and Cobra Kai favorite. Joining them is rising talent Ben Wang, stepping into the spotlight as the franchise’s newest hero.

Following an unremarkable performance in its debut weekend at the domestic box office, Sony’s Karate Kid: Legends seems to have been pinned to the ground by a double whammy of strong competitionand audience apathy. The movie made under $10 million in its sophomore frame at the domestic box office, essentially sealing its fate. It will fall short of the $50 million mark, which is worth pointing out, because the franchise’s last installment — the 2010 reboot starring Jaden Smith — made $55 million in its debut weekend alone.

With $35 million domestically and another $38 million from overseas markets, Karate Kid: Legends’ cumulative global haul stands at $74 million so far. The good news is that it didn’t cost all that much to produce. The movie comes with a reported price tag of $45 million, which means that it needs to generate around $100 million in order to break even, going by the rule of thumb. But there...

Despite positive reviews and an even better audience reception, From the World of John Wick: Ballerinaunderperformed in its box office debut. The film made an estimated $25 million in its first three days of release in domestic theaters, which is roughly $10 million less than the already modest projections heading into its opening frame. It’s also the second-lowest three-day debut for the franchise, ahead of only the first John Wick film, which was released back in 2014 and headlined by Keanu Reeves.

Ballerina stars Ana de Armas in the titular role, and is set between the events of the blockbuster third and fourth films in the main franchise — John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, and John Wick: Chapter 4. It’s also an important opportunity for de Armas to prove her box-office worth, following a couple of memorable appearances in hits such as No Time to Die and Knives Out. Incidentally, one of her...

It might be hard to imagine Jaden Smith outperforming major Hollywood names like Sylvester Stallone, but surprisingly, there’s one area where he did outshine the Oscar-nominated star: winning the Worst Actor award for an underwhelming performance in the 2013 sci-fi action film.

The films in question are Smith’s After Earth and Stallone’s Grudge Match, both of which were critically panned upon release. However, when it came time to decide who delivered the weaker performance, the dishonor ultimately went to Jaden Smith.

Jaden Smith’s post-apocalyptic survival tale that crashed on arrival

Jaden Smith appeared to be a rising star after his acclaimed performances in films like The Pursuit of Happyness and The Karate Kid. However, he struggled to maintain that momentum in subsequent roles, most notably in the 2013 sci-fi action film After Earth.

Will Smith and Jaden Smith in After Earth | Credit: Columbia Pictures

Set 1,000 years in a post-apocalyptic world,...

"Karate Kid: Legends" really likes to tell its audience that it's about two branches of the same tree. In-universe, this refers to the kung-fu that Jackie Chan's Mr. Han teaches and the karate that Pat Morita's Mr. Miyagi used to practice. In reality, however, this can also apply to "Karate Kid: Legends" being a tale of two movies at odds with each other. The first movie is a fantastic reconstruction of the "Karate Kid" formula and tropes, with the titular kid becoming a teacher rather than being a student.

It helps that Ben Wang is a really good lead. He portrays his character, Li Fong, as a relatable and charismatic underdog with a painful past that you can't help but root for. And yet, he is not completely defenseless, as for the first time the protagonist of a "Karate Kid" title already has some martial arts knowledge at the start of the story.

It has been 15 years since the release of "The Karate Kid," which was originally a loose remake of the 1984 film of the same name. While the original film starred Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita as the student and the teacher, respectively, the 2010 film starred Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan in the same dynamic. At the time of its release, the 2010 film was nothing more than a modern adaptation of the 1984 coming-of-age classic, borrowing the title while changing the martial arts specialty to Kung Fu and relocating the setting to Beijing, China.

However, while the 2010 "Karate Kid" film remained standalone from the original four entries in the franchise for more than a decade, it was officially incorporated into the canon of the established franchise, with the latest entry, "Karate Kid: Legends." In the new film, we see the return of Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), as well as Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio...

They say "never meet your heroes," and it sounds like Michael Cera can vouch for that. The actor, who has been doing the rounds on a press tour for Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme, recently crossed paths with the legendary Jackie Chan, promoting his latest film Karate Kid: Legends, but it didn't exactly go how Cera might have planned. He recalled the hilariously awkward encounter while speaking to NME, as he admitted that Chan had no idea who he was and probably thought he was a "competition winner," wanting to meet him.

"[A photographer] asked if I knew Jackie Chan, which I don't, so she said, 'Come meet him,'" Cera said, setting the scene, which unfolded at the studios of BBC Radio 2 where both actors happened to have a simultaneous press stop. "When I met him though, he was like 'who is this person, what's going on?' We took a picture,...

Jackie Chan’s Karate Kid: Legends has finally been released in theaters and sees two worlds colliding. Ralph Macchio’s Daniel Larusso was last seen in the finale of Cobra Kai and returns in the latest film. The Karate Kid franchise has had a resurgence since the Netflix series debuted, and it was the perfect time for the movie to be released.

However, despite the presence of both Macchio and Jackie Chan, and the franchise’s resurgence, the latest film failed to rake in huge numbers at the box office. It faced stiff competition from holdovers like Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning, which did not slow down after their release weeks.

Karate Kid: Legends had a disappointing run at the box office despite Jackie Chan’s presence A still from Karate Kid: Legends | Credits: Sony Pictures

While he may not be as big as he was in the ‘90s and 2000s,...

Apparently Jackie Chan couldn’t care less about Michael Cera’s career. Cera told NME that Chan had no idea who he was when they both wound up together on BBC Radio 2. Chan was promoting his latest film “Karate Kid: Legends” while Cera was there to do press for Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme.”

“When I met him [Chan] though, he was like, ‘Who is this person, what’s going on?,’” Cera recalled. “We took a picture but I think he thought I was a competition winner.”

Cera continued, “He was like, ‘Ok, let’s do a picture real quick. Come on.’ Not rudely. But I felt like I was invading his little personal time with his team before he goes on the radio. So I was like, ‘What am I doing here?’ But everyone was very sweet and I got to meet Jackie.”

Chan is back for “Karate Kid: Legends...

It's officially time to put the "Karate Kid" franchise to bed, perhaps permanently. Sony Pictures had hoped to cash in on the '80s brand's surprising resurgence in popularity thanks in no small part to Netflix's "Cobra Kai." Unfortunately, the same audience that made that show a huge, unexpected hit didn't turn out to watch "Karate Kid: Legends" in theaters over the weekend.

Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, "Legends" opened to an estimated $21 million domestically over the weekend, which was good enough for third place on the charts. However, it came in well behind Disney's live-action "Lilo & Stitch," which continued its massive box office run with another $63 million after its record-setting Memorial Day debut. On that same note, "Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning" held well enough to retain the number two spot with $27.3 million.

Overseas, the latest entry in the "Karate Kid" franchise pulled in an estimated $26 million for a $47 million global debut.

Update June 2, 2025: Karate Kid: Legends got kicked around at the box office this weekend, opening below expectations in third place with just $21 million.

Heading into the weekend, Sony's action sequel was projected to debut with $25 million. Despite holding a "certified rotten" rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie boasts a 91 percent audience approval score and earned an A-minus grade from CinemaScore exit polls. This marks the first Karate Kid movie since the 2010 reboot starring Jaden Smith, which opened to $55 million and went on to gross $359 million worldwide.

Topping the box office over the May 30–June 1 weekend was Lilo & Stitch, which brought in $63 million during its second weekend. The live-action Disney remake has amassed $280 million in North America and an additional $330 million overseas, bringing its global box office total to an impressive $610 million to date.

In second place, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning earned $27.3 million over the weekend,...

Karate Kid: Legends North America Box Office Day 3: Opening Weekend Update(Photo Credit –Instagram)

Sony’s Karate Kid: Legends’ opening weekend collection has finally been revealed, and in one word—it is disappointing. The film could not stand in front of the box office juggernauts—Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning. This Jackie Chan starrer has amassed $47 million at the worldwide box office. Scroll below for its North American box office debut.

It is the latest entry in The Karate Kid franchise, and this sequel has been released after fifteen years. The last film in this series came out in 2011, starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. Legends registered the second-biggest opening weekend for the franchise domestically.

Karate Kid: Legends’ opening weekend collection at North American box office

Karate Kid: Legends was projected to earn between $25 million and $30 million on its North American box office opening weekend. Unfortunately,...

This article contains spoilers for "Karate Kid: Legends."

In 1984, John G. Avildsen's "The Karate Kid" was one of the best family movies around, and for the past 40 years, nothing has been able to keep it down. The series of films revolving around teenagers overcoming the obstacles in their lives through martial arts has somehow managed to evade obscurity by switching up the formula. Even the 2010 reboot starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith ended up being a pretty good movie in its own right. But let's be real. The only reason "The Karate Kid" franchise is still as prominent as it is today is because of "Cobra Kai."

The YouTube Red turned Netflix sensation is quite the anomaly. There were so many ways in which a legacy sequel series to an '80s phenomenon could have gone sour. But "Cobra Kai" struck hard by pushing those tropes to such an...

It’s probably safe to assume Jackie Chan hasn’t seen Superbad, Juno, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World or Barbie — basically all of Michael Cera’s most iconic roles.

The Barbie actor recently told NME that Chan had no idea who he was when they met for the first time after ending up at the same press stop, BBC Radio 2, while promoting their respective movies, The Phoenician Scheme and Karate Kid: Legends.

“When I met him though, he was like, ‘Who is this person, what’s going on?'” Cera recalled of their interaction. “We took a picture but I think he thought I was a competition winner. He was like, ‘Ok let’s do a picture real quick. Come on.’ Not rudely. But I felt like I was invading his little personal time with his team before he goes on the radio.”

However, he didn’t take it personally.

In their second weekends, Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning added an estimated $63m and $27.3m respectively in North America, while Wes Anderson’s Cannes Competition premiere The Phoenician Scheme delivered the highest per-theatre score of the year to date.

Comscore reported that total weekend box office amounted to $149.2m as the year-to-date tally reached $3.4bn. Box office is currently tracking 26% ahead of 2024 by the same stage.

Lilo & Stitch, Disney Live Action’s reboot of the studio’s popular animation, held on to top spot and now stands at $280.1m after last weekend’s record Memorial Day holiday weekend launch.

Sony’s Karate Kid: Legends found itself in an unenviable position this week, as it debuted domestically in the wake of the biggest Memorial Day box office in recorded history. It wasn’t a complete washout, however, as it delivered a steady performance in the tailwind of two massive holdover hits, taking the third spot on the domestic charts in its debut weekend. Karate Kid: Legendsgrossed an estimated $21 million in its first three days of release, which is less than half of what the franchise’s previous installment, The Karate Kid, generated in its opening weekend back in 2010.

Starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, that film concluded its global run with over $350 million. Chan returns for Legends, which also brings back the original series’ star, Ralph Macchio, and introduces newcomer Ben Wang to the long-running franchise. Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, the movie opened to mixed reviews, but earned a solid response from audiences.

While its fate isn’t yet sealed, Karate Kid: Legends opened behind expectations at the domestic box office, despite teaming original star Ralph Macchio and beloved action legend Jackie Chan, who starred in the 2010 redux.

Sony is estimating a third-place North American opening of $21 million from 3,809 theaters for the male-fueled film (rival studios show it coming in closer to $20 million). Heading into the weekend, tracking had the pic debuting to $25 million; three weeks ago, that number was a far more promising $35 million. Overseas, where it began rolling out early, Legends took in another $12 million for an early foreign tally of $26 million and $47 million globally (it has only opened in 40 percent of the marketplace).

Regardless of a soft opening, Sony remains confident that the PG-13 film will sport strong chops, thanks to an A- CinemaScore and solid exits. And its net production budget was a modest $45 million before marketing.

Critics are...

The weekend sees the release of the sixth Karate Kid film, Karate Kid: Legends. This one tries to string together the continuity of the original 1984 film (and Cobra Kai) with the 2010 reboot led by Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. While I wrote in my review the many reasons I didn’t think it worked, audiences liked it, giving it an A-minus CinemaScore, and an opening north of $20 million.

That’s not bad for a forty one year old franchise, which was brilliantly reinvigorated by the excellent streaming series, Cobra Kai, which took the perspective of not only the hero of the original Karate Kid, Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio), but also the bad guy – Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). It also introduced a whole host of characters that became fan favorites – none of whom show up in Karate Kid: Legends.

So, which of the movies is your favorite? The 1984 original is the obvious choice,...

When "Karate Kid: Legends" was first announced, the prospect of crossing over 1984's "The Karate Kid" with 2010's "The Karate Kid" seemed heavily involved. Leaving aside the popular six-season run of the series that acts as a sequel to the original four films, "Cobra Kai," the idea felt like it could easily run into some problems, due to the 2010 film being developed and shot as a remake rather than a straight sequel or legacy sequel. Still, there existed some wiggle room: none of the characters shared the same names as their 1984 counterparts, and although the structure and situations involved were highly similar, they weren't so exact as to feel like they could only occur once. In essence, "Legends" would simply have to concede that, in the "Karate Kid" universe, it's a fairly common occurrence for single mothers to pack up their lives and their children and move across the country...

Karate Kid Legends North America Box Office Day 1 Update (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Karate Kid: Legends, starring Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, has finally landed in the cinemas, and the film’s opening day numbers are not indicating a positive debut. The day 1 collection was less than half of what 2010’s The Karate Kid raked in on its release day in North America. Keep scrolling for more.

It is the sixth film in the The Karate Kid franchise, which was created by Robert Mark Kamen. The Og franchise has four films, and it was rebooted in 2010, featuring Chan and Jaden Smith. The latest release received 58% on Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics and 89% from the audience on Popcornmeter. The reboot movie was a box office success, collecting over $359.1 million worldwide.

Karate Kid: Legends Box Office Day 1

According to trade analyst Luiz Fernando‘s report via X [formerly Twitter], Jackie Chan starrer...

Jackie Chan is back. Not that he ever went away, but Chan returns as Han in “Karate Kid: Legends,” the latest installment in the film franchise.

This time around, he’s in China mentoring his young nephew, Li (Ben Wang). When Li is forced to move to New York City, he finds himself tussling with a bully at school, and winds up in the Five Boroughs Tournament. Han comes along to train Li in martial arts, while Danny Larusso (Ralph Macchio), the original Karate Kid, arrives from California to teach Li karate.

“I feel like this film understands a really specific and fundamental difference between Hong Kong martial arts, which is all about the choreography and the moves, and American martial arts where it’s all about basically punching,” says director Jonathan Entwistle.

Chan, who first joined the franchise in the 2010 “Karate Kid” starring Jaden Smith, says he didn’t...

It isn't unusual for audiences and critics to be out-of-sync. Just some months ago, the Amazon MGM movie Red One — that's the Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans holiday adventure – scored a terrible 30% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, but an exceptional 90% audience score on the same platform. Something similar is unfolding this week, with Sony's Karate Kid: Legends having opened to mediocre reviews but a warm embrace from the crowds that checked it out on its first day of release. The movie is a soft-reboot of the long-running franchise; it brings back characters from not only the original series, but also the television spin-off and the last reboot.

It's been 15 years since that movie debuted to similarly mixed reviews, but it grossed over $350 million globally. Starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, the 2010 reboot holds a 67% Rotten Tomatoes score, which is higher than the 58% score that Karate Kid: Legends is currently sitting on.

“Karate Kid: Legends” kicked off with $7.5 million from 3,809 theaters across Friday and preview screenings — but it won’t be enough to wax off “Lilo & Stitch” or “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” from the top of the box office.

Sony’s “Karate Kid” legacy sequel is coming in behind projections for a $25 million debut, now slowing down to $21 million to $23 million. Even if it falls lower, the PG-13 martial arts film cost just $45 million to produce — relatively modest for a summer blockbuster play. “Legends” isn’t breaking out much beyond “Karate Kid” fans, but their nostalgia for the 1984 original and its sequels is sizable. A 2010 film reboot, led by Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, was a theatrical hit, and Netflix’s popular “Cobra Kai” spinoff series concluded its sprawling six-season run just earlier this year.

This new entry pulls together everything that’s come before, with Chan returning to team...

This post contains spoilers for "Karate Kid: Legends."

No disrespect to the dojo, but like it or not, "Cobra Kai" was a show that, as it progressed, settled into the camp of "so good it's bad" and remained there for six entire seasons. Even with the message it aimed to convey and the underdog story centered around ended with Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), the show was still about high school kids taking karate class way too seriously, perhaps even more than Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) did back in the day. It's also what made some of the show's fight scenes so eye-rollingly tolerable. Sure, they were well-choreographed, but next to shows like "Warrior" or "Gangs of London," "Cobra Kai" was outclassed. It's this setback that becomes even more noticeable when one of its most respected teachers tries to impart wisdom to a new student in "Karate Kid: Legends" (read our...

Karate Kid: Legends North America Box Office: Thursday Previews’ Collection Is Out Now! (Photo Credit – YouTube)

Karate Kid: Legends, starring Jackie Chan, Ben Wang and others, has arrived at the North American box office. Before the full-fledged release on Friday, the film had its previews scheduled on Thursday. Unfortunately, the response was quite underwhelming, and it’s now clear that the film won’t be able to recreate the good old magic of its predecessor. Keep reading for a detailed collection report!

The latest martial arts drama film is the sixth installment in The Karate Kid movie franchise. It follows the events of the popular series Cobra Kai. Backed by the franchise’s brand, the film was expected to enjoy a promising start, but right from the pre-release stage, things weren’t looking bright. It just had a decent buzz around itself and is dependent on word-of-mouth.

How much did...

It’s hard to believe how far The Karate Kid franchise has come since that first iconic crane kick back in 1984. From car waxing wisdom to one of cinema’s most beloved mentor-student duos, it has since ballooned into a multi-generational phenomenon. We’ve had sequels, spinoffs, and reboots. We saw Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith breathe new life into it in 2010, and then came Cobra Kai—that surprise Netflix smash hit that somehow managed to be both hilariously nostalgic and refreshingly modern.

Now, Karate Kid: Legends has entered the ring, premiering on May 30, 2025. However, with so many past iterations, timelines, and characters floating around, the big question is this: Is Legends actually connected to Cobra Kai, or is it doing its own thing? Well, buckle up, because the answer is… kinda complicated.

Director confirms if Karate Kid: Legends is really connected to Cobra Kai or not Ben Wang in...

Ben Wang went from selling fake junk in homemade infomercials to throwing punches with Jackie Chan. Born in Shanghai and raised in small-town Minnesota, he learned English by watching way too much TV (his own words), especially infomercials.

Watching infomercials helped him pick up vocabulary and comedic timing. Using a camcorder and whatever he could find around the house, he began making mock commercials, unknowingly laying the foundation for a future in acting. Fast forward to today, and the 25-year-old NYU drama grad is starring in Karate Kid: Legends, alongside Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio. His journey from TV-obsessed kid to martial arts movie lead is a true underdog story, you need to know!

How Ben Wang kicked his way into Karate Kid: Legends!!

Ben Wang’s path to landing the lead in Karate Kid: Legends didn’t involve industry connections or elite martial arts training, it began with a...

Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan join forces for Karate Kid: Legends, where American Born Chinese actor Ben Wang takes on the titular character. Macchio played the young prodigy in the first film in the franchise, The Karate Kid, in 1984. The film spawned three sequels and a Netflix series, with three of them starring Macchio.

A reboot film in 2010 starred Chan and Jaden Smith as the master and student. In Legends, Chan’s Mr. Han meets Daniel Larusso and they come together for Wang’s Li Fong. It is also established that Mr. Han knows Daniel’s master, Mr. Miyagi. Macchio is now opening up about working with Chan at the premiere of the film.

Ralph Macchio was nervous to spar with Jackie Chan Ralph Macchio with Ben Wang and Jackie Chan in Karate Kid: Legends | Credits: Sony Pictures Releasing

Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan‘s Karate Kid: Legends is now out in theaters.

This week, the Karate Kid franchise is back in theaters for the first time in 15 years with Karate Kid: Legends. And unlike the 2010 film, this movie is a true continuation of everything that came before it.

Who could have predicted that there would be a new Karate Kid movie over four decades after the original? The 1984 original has withstood the test of time, and it gave Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki "Pat" Morita two of their most iconic roles as Daniel Larusso and his mentor, Mr. Miyagi.

Although Morita died in 2005, Macchio has kept the flame of The Karate Kid alive in both the sequel series, Cobra Kai, and the newly released Karate Kid: Legends. In honor of that film, we’re ranking the entire Karate Kid franchise, including the two TV shows.

Read: ‘The Karate Kid’ series has more Oscar nominations than you might remember

8. The Karate Kid (1989 Animated Series...

After directing Rocky and kicking off a series of movies capitalizing on working-class fighters, John G. Avildsen knew there was more room to grow with inspirational sports movies. It’s no surprise that less than a decade after his Oscar-winning film, Avildsen’s The Karate Kid was not only a massive success, but found its way to Oscar night as well. In the process, Avildsen’s drama launched a franchise, two reboots, and now Karate Kid: Legends on Friday. With the release of the latest film, we’re ranking the six Karate Kid films and Cobra Kai.

Honorable Mention — The Karate Kid (1989)

Various Directors

It’s always a good sign when your animated series only runs for one year, right? The Karate Kid animated series first debuted in 1989 and was supposed to run for more than sixty episodes. The idea was to have Daniel and Mr. Miyagi go on various...

(L-r) Jackie Chan, Ben Wang and Ralph Macchio in Columbia Pictures Karate Kid: Legends Photo By Jonathan Wenk Copyright © 2024 Ctmg, Inc. All Rights Reserved. **All Images Are Property Of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc The Karate Kid franchise is a cultural landmark, far more than just a film and TV series. Generations have been enthralled with this saga since the classic 1984 original, followed by four sequels, a 2010 reboot featuring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, and the popular series Cobra Kai. Today, the legacy advances with Karate Kid: Legends, a much-awaited new sequel featuring cherished stars and a promising newcomer. Jackie Chan reprises his role as Mr. Han, co-starring with Ralph Macchio as the legendary Daniel Larusso. Rising star Ben Wang joins them, taking the lead as Li Fong. The movie’s premise is classic Karate Kid with a modern twist: after kung fu prodigy Li Fong relocates to New York City,...

After successfully launching the core franchise, reintroducing the premise with 2010’s The Karate Kid, starring Jaden Smith, and dominating Netflix charts with Cobra Kai, another chapter of the martial arts saga hits theaters this weekend. We would like to know if it’s another gem in the Karate Kid crown or if Jonathan Entwistle’s Karate Kid: Legends deserves to lay face down on the mat after a swift Crane Kick to the breadbasket.

The official synopsis for Karate Kid: Legends reads: “In Karate Kid: Legends, after a family tragedy, kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to New York City with his mother. Li struggles to let go of his past as he tries to fit in with his new classmates, and although he doesn’t want to fight, trouble seems to find him everywhere. When a new friend needs his help,...