Karate Kid: Legends continues to ascend the franchise’s box office rankings and is now nearing a major global milestone. Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, the latest installment in the long-running Karate Kid franchise follows kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) as he becomes a student of Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) in order to train for a major karate compeтιтion. Karate Kid: Legends reviews have been mixed from critics, but the film has been more popular with audiences, opening with $20.3 million at the box office.

Now, dew data from The Numbers reveals that Legends has now grossed a worldwide total of $91.4 million, meaning it has beaten the original 1984 movie’s total of $90.8 million (not adjusted for inflation). The new film’s worldwide total comprises $45.7 million domestically and the same figure internationally, bringing it one step closer to the major $100 million milestone.

What This Means For Karate Kid: Legends

How The Film Compares To Other Entries In The Franchise

Karate Kid: Legends was made on an estimated budget of $50 million. Using the standard Hollywood rule of thumb, the film could be looking at a break-even point of $125 million, a figure it may eventually come close to if it continues to be available in theaters over the next few weeks. On Rotten Tomatoes, Legends enjoys a strong 92% audience score, and the week-to-week drops have been respectable enough to indicate positive word-of-mouth. According to The Numbers, the new Karate Kid movie experienced only a 39% drop between its second and third weekends.

Even if Legends does break even, it won’t become the highest-grossing movie in the Karate Kid franchise. As seen in the chart below, 2010’s The Karate Kid remains the highest-grossing entry in the franchise at a whopping $351.7 million worldwide, a figure that is out of reach for the latest installment. Even if Legends fails to break even in theaters, it could end up finding success on home-viewing platforms. With the positive reception to the Cobra Kai show, there will likely continue to be new installments in the Karate Kid saga, but they may feature lower budgets.

Our Take On Karate Kid: Legends’ Box Office Milestone

The Franchise’s Future May Be Smaller In Scale

The Karate Kid: Legends cast is at least part of the reason for the film’s estimated $50 million budget. Chan, of course, remains one of the most legendary martial arts actors in history, and Macchio, too, has been a mainstay of the franchise. Though both actors would have increased the film’s price tag, they are also both important to the story, and they help to connect the new installment to past entries.

It’s not clear what the future holds for the Karate Kid franchise, but the audience response to this latest installment certainly suggests there is room for more stories in the years ahead. Cobra Kai‘s six seasons proved that this franchise can excel on the small screen with smaller stakes, and there may be room for further exploration here. It remains to be seen where Karate Kid: Legends‘ box office will end up, but the film evidently hasn’t thrown in the towel just yet.

Source: The Numbers