16-Year-Old Reboot of a Classic 1980s Action Franchise Becomes a Top 10 Netflix Success (& What’s Next?)

The ’80s produced a bevy of popular franchises that continue to resonate to this day. Chief among them is The Karate Kid, which started life as a critically acclaimed blockbuster (that even earned star Pat Morita an Oscar nomination). The success of that film lead to multiple big-screen follow-ups, lines of merchandise, tie-in video games, and more. Karate Kid has endured for decades as a recognizable brand, so much so that it has continued to receive new installments in the 21st century. Long before the TV series Cobra Kai, there was a feature film that paired Jackie Chan with Jaden Smith, looking to get a new generation hooked on the IP. It was a sizable box office draw in its time, and now it’s a hit on streaming.

For the week of March 2nd – March 8th, 2010’s The Karate Kid was the No. 9 film on Netflix globally. During that time, it accumulated 2.7 million views and was streamed for a total of 6.2 million hours. It narrowly edged out Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom to secure its place on the chart. This was The Karate Kid‘s first week in Netflix’s top 10. The film is streaming on Netflix in select international territories as of this writing; American viewers can rent or purchase it on PVOD platforms like Apple and Amazon.

What’s Next for the Karate Kid Franchise?

The Karate Kid had a big year in 2025, which saw the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai premiere on Netflix and Karate Kid: Legends hit theaters. The latter was a particularly fascinating project because it blended the original series with the more modern reboot; Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan co-starred, reprising their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Han, who take a young kung fu prodigy under their wing and train him. Though the film arrived on the heels of the critically acclaimed Cobra Kai Season 2, Legends received mixed reviews (57% on Rotten Tomatoes) and only grossed $117 million at the worldwide box office. That haul was significantly lower than the $359.1 million the 2010 reboot brought in.

In all likelihood, when Karate Kid: Legends was conceived, it was envisioned as the start of a new era for the franchise, positioning the character of Li Fong as the new main protagonist. However, since Legends did not perform very well critically or commercially, it remains to be seen if that will happen. In the year since Legends came out, there’s been no word about a sequel. That’s always subject to change, of course, but the studio may decide that it isn’t worth the investment to make another Karate Kid movie. Legends was budgeted at just $45 million, so it wasn’t a massive bomb, though Sony was probably hoping for more than $117 million globally given the brand name.

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Cobra Kai has wrapped up, so Karate Kid fans don’t have new seasons of that show to look forward to. However, it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise if the franchise continued on TV in some capacity, perhaps with a Cobra Kai spinoff revolving around one of the show’s many great characters. Cobra Kai was one of Netflix’s biggest hits, and though the peak streaming era is over, executives would probably be interested in finding a way to keep it around. Even if Ralph Macchio and William Zabka don’t return, a creative team could further explore the story of one of their karate students.

Another possibility is that the Karate Kid franchise is laid to rest for a period of time. Cobra Kai concluded its main story on a high note, providing fans with a satisfying finale that cemented the show as one of the best legacy sequels. Producing any kind of follow-up right now could run the risk of ruining what made Cobra Kai so great. Not every property needs to be milked until it’s completely dry; sometimes, it’s okay to just let stories end. It’s unlikely Karate Kid remains on the shelf forever, but after the latest movie came up a bit short, the studio should take its time and make sure there’s a really strong idea in place before bringing Karate Kid back.

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