Karate Kid: Legends (2025) – When Two Generations Meet

Karate Kid: Legends marks the first time that two of the franchise’s martial arts icons – Jackie Chan (as Mr. Han from the 2010 remake) and Ralph Macchio (as Daniel LaRusso from the original series) – appear on screen together. The film introduces new protagonist Li Fong (played by Ben Wang), a Chinese teenager who moves to New York after a family tragedy. There, Li is trained by Mr. Han and Daniel to enter the “5 Boroughs” karate tournament, combining kung fu and karate in an emotional journey of coming of age.

The Karate Kid franchise is set to return with a fresh story that bridges the past and present. Karate Kid: Legends, directed by Jonathan Entwistle and written by Rob Lieber, will hit theaters on May 30, 2025.

The film follows Li Fong, played by Ben Wang (American Born Chinese), a kung fu prodigy uprooted from Beijing to New York City after a family tragedy. Struggling to adjust to his new life and haunted by his past, Li finds himself drawn back into the world of martial arts when a friend needs his help.

Li’s journey brings together two legendary characters: Jackie Chan reprises his role as kung fu teacher Mr. Han from the 2010 Karate Kid reboot, and Ralph Macchio returns as the original Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso. The pair team up to train Li, blending their martial arts styles for a climactic showdown at a karate competition.

The film also features a star-studded cast, including Joshua Jackson (Dawson’s Creek), Sadie Stanley (Kim Possible), and Ming-Na Wen (The Mandalorian). Fans can expect a mix of heart-pounding action and emotional storytelling as the film honors the franchise’s legacy while introducing a new generation to its timeless themes of resilience, friendship, and personal growth.

Mark your calendars for Karate Kid: Legends on May 30, 2025, and prepare to witness the ultimate fusion of martial arts styles in this exciting new chapter.

Reception and Revenue
The film received positive reviews from audiences, with an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes – the highest in the history of the series. However, the global box office revenue of about $51.5 million was lower than expected compared to the $45 million budget. The reason may be due to competition from other films and the habit of watching Cobra Kai online.

Unexpected Post-Credits Scene

Karate Kid: Legends has been high on my list when it comes to 2025 movie releases, but since I first heard about it, I’ve been curious about how it may or may not affect things after the Cobra Kai finale earlier this year. Now that it’s in theaters (with its own popcorn bucket too), I can officially confirm that it doesn’t conflict with or really reference Cobra Kai… that is, until Ralph Macchio and William Zabka show off their amazing chemistry as Daniel and Johnny during the post-credits scene!

After six seasons of Cobra Kai, I think Karate Kid: Legends made the right decision to not get into the series’ lore. I loved seeing Macchio interact with Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han – who told us he still does his own stunts, by the way. But I was also totally geeking out when Zabka showed up at the end to give the best dad joke. He suggested Daniel Russo open a pizza place called “Miyagi Dough”, and it had me wondering if the reason there’s a pizza place in Legends at all was for that joke. Here’s how Jonathan Entwistle responded:

There you have it! The joke is so funny that I wouldn’t have blamed the production if ig inspired the whole plotline regarding Ben Wang’s Li Fong forming a relationship with a family-owned New York pizza place. However, Entwistle said the joke came out of some quality time between Macchio and Zabka when they went ahead and filmed the scene between the two of them.

As the director shared, when he put them together for the scene where Macchio receives a pizza from the other side of the U.S., he didn’t even know exactly what the two would say to each other, but was looking for a “zinger” to end the movie on. Those two definitely delivered! Get it… delivered? And the post-credits scene definitely feels like a nice little nod to Cobra Kai fans, who have been tuning into the Karate Kid spinoff for years, but have never seen the original fighters from the first of the Karate Kid movies on the big screen since then.

Karate Kid: Legends is not just a simple sequel but also a bridge between generations, combining martial arts spirit and family values. If you love the Karate Kid or Cobra Kai series, this is a movie you cannot miss.