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Summary

  • Karate Kid: Legends’ Rotten Tomatoes score of 56% is a sharp downturn from Cobra Kai’s positive ratings.
  • The film aligns with franchise sequels, falling into Rotten territory with reviews.
  • Despite the low score, the movie could still see success due to audience opinions and Chan’s appeal.

This weekend sees the release of “Karate Kid: Legends” in cinemas, and fans of “Cobra Kai” may be taken aback by its Rotten Tomatoes rating. This movie marks the first sequel to the “Cobra Kai” revival series where Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprised their roles from “Karate Kid”. The show focused on their transformation from adversaries to friends, as well as their offspring who learned martial arts. “Cobra Kai” concluded after six seasons, with “Karate Kid: Legends” carrying forward the story of Daniel LaRusso, played by Macchio.

In the movie titled “Karate Kid: Legends,” we find Daniel LaRusso joining forces with Mr. Han, portrayed by Jackie Chan, from the 2010 “Karate Kid” film featuring Jaden Smith. The storyline centers around a promising karate talent in New York City who prepares for a competition under the guidance of martial arts masters. The cast also includes Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, and Ming-Na Wen. Unlike “Cobra Kai,” this film appears to have minimal connections to the series’ events, instead focusing on a fresh narrative that merges the two halves of the “Karate Kid” saga. However, each season of “Cobra Kai” has received a Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with scores above 90%, making the less-than-stellar rating of “Karate Kid: Legends” particularly surprising.

As per the current data on Rotten Tomatoes, The Karate Kid: Legends currently holds a 56% “rotten” rating based on 43 reviews. This rating might change as more reviews pour in over the next few days. Interestingly, this is a significant drop compared to the highly favorable reviews received by Cobra Kai. The new series, The Karate Kid: Legends, boasts a different creative team and largely departs from the familiar characters that fans have grown attached to. Despite the return of Macchio and Chan, this shift in direction could explain the less-than-stellar rating at present.

Karate Kid: Legends’ Rotten Tomatoes Score Aligns With Other Franchise Sequels

The “Karate Kid” series has a pattern of doing well in its initial releases, with the 1984 original and the 2010 remake featuring Jackie Chan both receiving positive reviews (81% and 67%, respectively). However, subsequent sequels like “Karate Kid Part II” (48%) and “Part III” (15%) have generally been panned by critics. The lowest-rated film in the series is “The Next Karate Kid” from 1994, which replaced Ralph Macchio with Hilary Swank and Mr. Miyagi, and it received a dismal 7% rating.

Despite some uncertainty about its final score on platforms like Rotten Tomatoes, Karate Kid: Legends might still end up as another low point in the franchise. However, it’s important to note that audience opinions often contrast with those of critics, suggesting a more positive outlook among moviegoers. Moreover, fans of Cobra Kai who are excited to delve deeper into the karate-centric universe may contribute to its box office success. Given Jackie Chan’s global popularity, Karate Kid: Legends could enjoy a successful theatrical release regardless of its Rotten Tomatoes score.

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2025-05-28 22:45