Netflix Is Losing the Karate Kid Movies (Again)

Cobra Kai will return for its fourth season in December, but fans hoping to make the wait a bit more bearable by rewatching The Karate Kid trilogy on Netflix before the sequel series’ return may find themselves disappointed. The Karate Kid trilogy is leaving Netflix yet again with The Karate Kid, The Karate Kid Part II, and The Karate Kid Part III all departing the streaming platform on September 30th. The Next Karate Kid, however, will remain on Netflix.

This isn’t the first time The Karate Kid trilogy has left Netflix. The first three films in the franchise have come and gone from the streamer before, most notably soon after Cobra Kai first made the move to Netflix from YouTube. At that time, the whole franchise was available to stream, though the original trilogy of films quietly departed soon after, only to return to Netflix in July. Considering that we’ve seen The Karate Kid trilogy come and go before, it’s probably a safe bet that we’ll see the films return sometime in the future. Interestingly, the news comes at the same time that a 4K Karate Kid trilogy Blu-ray / Digital box set was announced, so that’s an option if you want to get off the streaming rollercoaster. 

As for Cobra Kai, we don’t yet know much about what to expect for Season 4, but what we do know is exciting. The new seasons will see the return of Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver, the villain from The Karate Kid Part II while longtime rivals Johnny (William Zabka) and Daniel (Ralph Macchio) will be working together for the first time, preparing their students to take on John Kreese.

“You’ve seen Johnny and Daniel interact for a few seasons now and a movie wave way, way, way back when, and you’ve seen glimpses of them being able to get along and be on the same page and you’ve seen them throw fists on a dime,” series co-creator Jon Hurwitz previously told ComicBook.com. “So anything is possible with the two of them together. They’re united against the common enemy right now. And their intentions are all positive with what they want to do, but let’s see what it’s like for these two guys working together with the same goal, with their different approaches. Can they join forces in a way that is going to be productive and smooth sailing, or will there be bumps in the road? And that’s what people are going to have to look forward to during season four.”

Are you sad that The Karate Kid trilogy is leaving Netflix again on September 30th? Let us know in the comments.