Karate Kid: Legends doesn’t have a great Rotten Tomatoes score, but its standing in the franchise reveals a harsh reality. The 2025 film unites almost every corner of the Karate Kid franchise that has existed over the last 41 years. Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han from the 2010 reboot is back and interacting with Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso, the original trilogy star who most recently appeared in Cobra Kai. The sequel TV show proved to be an excellent relaunch for the Karate Kid franchise, resulting in the new movie’s development.

Coming on the heels of Cobra Kai only raised expectations for Karate Kid: Legends, as the series really elevated the franchise to new heights. This is evident in the fights, story, and characterization of both familiar and new faces. While Karate Kid: Legends‘ connection to Cobra Kai doesn’t include having the same creative team, there was still optimism that the new movie would deliver a similar level of quality and enjoyment for all audiences. While the general public is loving the film, the critical response is more divided – which is actually par for the course for this series.

Why Karate Kid: Legends’ Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Low

But It Has Gotten Better

The critical response to Karate Kid: Legends is undoubtedly mixed, as the movie currently has a 59% on Rotten Tomatoes based on over 120 reviews. That’s not a great mark for a major IP movie like this. Although it is worth noting that Karate Kid: Legends‘ Rotten Tomatoes score has continued to increase since its debut, as it initially stood at 51%. This suggests that there is a slightly more positive reception of the movie trickling in after the initial embargo lifted.

Still, the reason that the score is so low comes down to Karate Kid: Legends critics not agreeing about how well the movie’s story comes together. One recurring theme in the reviews is the movie’s formulaic nature. Matt Singer’s review for ScreenCrush noted that the movie is “a legacyquel that rehashes that exact same plot for a third time.” Frank Scheck’s review for THR echoed a similar sentiment, saying it “adds nothing original to the formula.” Many reviews also note pacing issues, tonal differences, and a lackluster role for Ralph Macchio as disappointing.

That’s not to say that critics universally dislike Karate Kid: Legends. Mae Abdulbaki’s review for Screen Rant gave it a 7 out of 10 score. She said, “It’s genuinely charismatic and keeps its focus on the characters in a way that isn’t trying too hard. It strikes a good balance between heartfelt and fun, and the cast has great chemistry.” There has even been a lot of praise for Ben Wang’s performance, including in Kristy Puchko’s review for Mashable, where she says, “Wang has a mesmerizing screen presence and keen comedic sensibility that makes him addictively watchable.”

Karate Kid: Legends’ RT Score Is Above The Franchise’s Movie Average

The Movies Have A Rough History

Despite sitting with a Rotten score (below 60%) on Rotten Tomatoes, Karate Kid: Legends‘ score is actually better than the franchise average. It has the third-highest score for a Karate Kid movie, falling only behind the 1984 original (81%) and the 2010 reboot (67%). The two Ralph Macchio-led sequels and Hilary Swank’s The Next Karate Kid earned negative reviews, including a franchise-low score of 7% for the latter.

That gives the Karate Kid movies an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 43.5% heading into Karate Kid: Legends. It’s easy to think about the 2025 film’s score as being disappointing and a big step down from where the franchise was previously because Cobra Kai was so well received; all six seasons earned 90% or better scores from critics. But with the context of the franchise average and where the score slots into the franchise’s overall standing, the mixed response is more in-line with how these movies have been received over the last 40 years.

It’s also worth noting that Karate Kid: Legends is playing better with audiences than any other movie in this series. Legends‘ 91% audience score is the highest for a Karate Kid movie. The franchise’s average audience Rotten Tomatoes score was 52.2%. So even though Karate Kid: Legends‘ critics score beat the average by over 18 percentage points, the audience score is a shocking 39 percentage points better. So not only did critics actually enjoy the new movie more than previous installments, but audiences are still riding high after Cobra Kai.

Cobra Kai Truly Elevated The Karate Kid Franchise

The Show’s Scores Are Above Everything Else

The truth of the matter is that Cobra Kai remains the pinnacle of the Karate Kid franchise in many ways, including on Rotten Tomatoes. The series managed to successfully reinvigorate interest in an IP that was considered ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. Cobra Kai does the fights, establishing new characters, adding layers to existing characters, and fleshing out the universe that it can all seem easy. But, there’s countless examples of other franchises trying to do this and failing. Cobra Kai knew exactly how to carry on the Karate Kid tone and legacy by making something that would appease longtime fans and attract a new audience.

That’s why Cobra Kai‘s Rotten Tomatoes scores are so much higher than just about anything the Karate Kid movies have offered. Each season is over 90% with critics, with season 5 hitting a franchise high 98% score. Overall, the series has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, which is well above the original Karate Kid. The series laid the blueprint for what future installments in the series should be like. While there can be some enjoyment found in Karate Kid: Legends, it’s still no Cobra Kai. The gap on Rotten Tomatoes further illustrates this.