Karate Kid: Legends has crossed a major box office milestone, with hopes of overtaking the original 1984 classic. The martial arts franchise returns with its first movie in 15 years, colliding the worlds of Ralph Macchios’s trilogy with Jackie Chan’s 2010 reboot. The sequel also marked the first project in the universe since Cobra Kai concluded its six-season run earlier this year. Despite hefty compeтιтion with Lilo & Sтιтch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Legends secured the third spot during its debut weekend, opening with $20 million at the domestic box office.

According to Box Office Mojo, Karate Kid: Legends has quickly crossed the $75 million milestone, ahead of its third weekend in theaters. Based on a total of $76.1 million, the domestic gross consists of $37.5 million, and an international aggregate of $38.6 million. As of writing, the sequel is currently the fourth highest-grossing movie in the franchise, just $14.7 million behind the original Karate Kid movie, which has a total of $90.8 million.

Does This Box Office Milestone Mean Karate Kid: Legends Is A Success?

Legends Has Reported $45 Million Budget

Despite some box office challenges, Legends has been performing moderately. Even though the $76.1 million box office total doesn’t seem a lot, the sequel simply had a budget of $45 million. That means that Legends has a very good chance of at least hitting the break-even point by the end of its run, which could be in the $100-110 million range. The sequel could even surpᴀss the original 1984 movie within the next week, and if so, it will take the spot as the third highest-grossing movie in the franchise.

On the other hand, it’s questionable if Legends can surpᴀss The Karate Kid, Part II, let alone the 2010 reboot. The first sequel made about $115 million at the global box office, and it may be tough to hit that milestone. With more new releases and the summer seasons already underway, Legends will slowly lose box-office momentum. At this rate, it’s very unlikely that the new installment will reach the heights of the 2010 reboot, which made $351 million.

Nevertheless, Legends is sitting more comfortably than most new releases due to its smaller budget. If the newest installment can hit break-even and start going into the profitable margins, this will bode well for the franchise’s future. For instance, there could be discussions about Karate Kid: Legends 2, continuing the arc that has followed Ben Wang’s Li Fong. However, currently, Sony hasn’t announced any developments for more movies, and there has yet to be any Netflix update if there will be any spinoffs post-Cobra Kai.

Our Take On Karate Kid: Legends Box Office Milestone

Let’s Cross Our Fingers For More Karate Kid Movies

From the looks of it, Karate Kid: Legends has a good sH๏τ at hitting the break-even point as long as it keeps up its momentum, even with its weekly and daily drops. The smaller budget has already worked in the sequel’s favor, and the strong response from audiences has likely helped with word-of-mouth. This is evident, as the movie currently holds a 93% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a franchise best. However, it’s also worth mentioning that Legends will start to face some obstacles in the coming weeks due to new releases, so it’s still uncertain whether the movie can hit its break-even point.

Even if the movie falls short of expectations, Karate Kid: Legends is performing far better than most new releases, and streaming could help make up that gap when the time comes. However, in the meantime, the sequel needs to make up as much ground as possible in the next few weeks if it wishes to at least overtake the 1984 movie and claim the third spot.

Source: Box Office Mojo