‘Karate Kid: Legends’ Faces Tough Competition at the Box Office

Sony’s “Karate Kid: Legends” is off to a rocky start, opening with a modest $21 million domestically — falling short of earlier projections that hoped for at least $25 million. Even pairing original star Ralph Macchio with martial arts icon Jackie Chan wasn’t enough to propel the film past third place. The movie, starring Ben Wang as the titular hero, also earned $12 million internationally, bringing its early global total to $47 million.

The PG-13 film arrived with solid audience support (an A- CinemaScore) but mixed critical reviews. Some analysts speculate that fans may feel the franchise fatigue after six seasons of Netflix’s “Cobra Kai,” which just ended earlier this year. Compared to the 2010 “Karate Kid” reboot, which opened to $55 million, this new installment is underperforming.

Meanwhile, Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” continued to dominate, adding a stunning $63 million domestically in its second weekend and racing past $610 million worldwide. The live-action remake is expected to join the billion-dollar club soon, reinforcing Disney’s box office dominance and helping the studio surpass $2 billion in worldwide ticket sales this year.

Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” also held strong in second place, with $27.2 million domestically and a global total of nearly $354 million. The film is boosted by its exclusive IMAX release and remains a powerhouse in overseas markets, particularly in China.

Elsewhere, horror flick “Bring Her Back” from A24 opened with $7.1 million, while “Final Destination: Bloodlines” continued its steady run with $10.8 million, totaling $229.3 million globally. Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme” achieved the highest per-theater average of the year, debuting in six U.S. theaters with $95,000 per location.

Despite its soft opening, “Karate Kid: Legends” remains in the fight, with Sony optimistic about its legs thanks to positive audience word-of-mouth and a reasonable $45 million production budget. But with heavy-hitters like “Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible” drawing huge crowds, the road to success for “Legends” may be tougher than expected.

For more entertainment news, stay tuned to Que Onda Magazine daily.