The Karate Kid (franchise)
| The Karate Kid | |
|---|---|
.png) The Karate Kid franchise logo | |
| Created by | Robert Mark Kamen |
| Original work | The Karate Kid (1984) |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
|
| Television series | Cobra Kai (2018) |
| Animated series | The Karate Kid (1989) |
| Games | |
| Video game(s) |
|
The Karate Kid is an American martial arts drama multi-media franchise, created by screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen. The franchise began in 1984 with The Karate Kid, and was followed by three film sequels: The Karate Kid Part II (1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989) and The Next Karate Kid (1994). Cobra Kai, a television series that serves as a sequel to the films, was released in 2018.
The success of the first two films spawned an animated television series that aired in 1989, while a remake film centered on kung fu was released in 2010, set outside of the main story and featuring a similar plot to the original.
While the first film garnered critical acclaim, critics were less enthusiastic about its sequels. However, the Cobra Kai television series garnered critical and audience acclaim.[1] Furthermore, the series has also had a lasting influence on both karate culture and teen film narratives in America.[2][3]
Films
- The Karate Kid (1984)
- The Karate Kid Part II (1986)
- The Karate Kid Part III (1989)
- The Next Karate Kid (1994)
- The Karate Kid (2010)
Television
- The Karate Kid (1989)
- Cobra Kai (2018–present)
Characters
| Characters | Original films | Animated series | Remake | Television series | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Karate Kid | The Karate Kid Part II | The Karate Kid Part III | The Next Karate Kid | The Karate Kid | The Karate Kid | Cobra Kai | |
| 1984 | 1986 | 1989 | 1994 | 1989 | 2010 | 2018–present | |
| Daniel LaRusso | Ralph Macchio | Joey Dedio | Ralph Macchio | ||||
| Mr. Miyagi | Noriyuki "Pat" Morita | Noriyuki "Pat" Morita | Noriyuki "Pat" Morita | Robert Ito | Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (archive footage) | ||
| Fumio Demura (martial arts double) |
Fumio Demura (martial arts double) | ||||||
| John Kreese | Martin Kove | Martin Kove | |||||
| Johnny Lawrence | William Zabka | William Zabka (archive footage) |
William Zabka | ||||
| Owen D. Stone (young) | |||||||
| Bobby Brown | Ron Thomas | Ron Thomas (uncredited, archive footage) |
Ron Thomas (archive footage) | ||||
| Tommy | Rob Garrison | Rob Garrison (archive footage) |
Rob Garrison (archive footage) | ||||
| Dutch | Chad McQueen | Chad McQueen (archive footage) |
Chad McQueen (archive footage) | ||||
| Jimmy | Tony O'Dell | Tony O'Dell (archive footage) |
Tony O'Dell (archive footage) | ||||
| Ali Mills | Elisabeth Shue | Elisabeth Shue (archive footage) |
Elisabeth Shue (archive footage) | ||||
| Lucille LaRusso | Randee Heller | Randee Heller (archive footage) |
Randee Heller | Randee Heller | |||
| Freddy Fernandez | Isarel Jurabe | Isarel Jurabe (archive footage) | |||||
| Mrs. Milo | Frances Bay | Frances Bay | |||||
| Sato Toguchi | Danny Kamekona | ||||||
| Chozen Toguchi | Yuji Okumoto | ||||||
| Kumiko | Tamlyn Tomita | ||||||
| Yukie | Photograph | Nobu McCarthy | |||||
| Miyagi's Father | Charlie Tanimoto | ||||||
| Terence "Terry" Silver | Thomas Ian Griffith | ||||||
| Michael "Mike" Barnes | Sean Kanan | ||||||
| Jessica Andrews | Robyn Lively | ||||||
| Julie Pierce | Hilary Swank | ||||||
| Louisa Pierce | Constance Towers | ||||||
| Ned Randall | Michael Cavelieri | ||||||
| Eric McGowen | Chris Conrad | ||||||
| Colonel Paul Dugan | Michael Ironside | ||||||
| Angel the Hawk | Frank Welker | ||||||
| Taki Tamurai | Janice Kawaye | ||||||
| Dre Parker | Jaden Smith | ||||||
| Mr. Han | Jackie Chan | ||||||
| Meiying | Wenwen Han | ||||||
| Cheng | Zhenwang Zhang | ||||||
| Sherry Parker | Taraji P. Henson | ||||||
| Master Li | Yu Rongguang | ||||||
| Harry | Luke Carberry | ||||||
| Miguel Diaz | Xolo Maridueña | ||||||
| Samantha "Sam" LaRusso | Mary Mouser | ||||||
| Reese TinLee (young) | |||||||
| Amanda LaRusso | Courtney Henggeler | ||||||
| Kyler | Joe Seo | ||||||
| Robby Keene | Tanner Buchanan | ||||||
| Sid Weinberg | Ed Asner | ||||||
| Micheal H. Cole | |||||||
| Anthony LaRusso | Griffin Santopietro | ||||||
Crew
| Film | Director(s) | Producer(s) | Writer(s) | Composer(s) | Editor(s) | Cinematographers(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Karate Kid | John G. Avildsen | Jerry Weintraub | Robert Mark Kamen | Bill Conti | John G. Avildsen Walt Mulconery Bud S. Smith |
James Crabe |
| The Karate Kid Part II | John. G Alvidsen David Garfield Jane Kurson | |||||
| The Karate Kid Part III | John G. Avildsen Walt Mulconery Bud S. Smith |
Steve Yaconelli | ||||
| The Next Karate Kid | Christopher Cain | Mark Lee | Ronald Roose | László Kovács | ||
| The Karate Kid | Harald Zwart | Jerry Weintraub Will Smith Jada Pinkett Smith James Lassiter Kevin Stovitz |
Christopher Murphey | James Horner | Joel Negron | Roger Pratt |
Reception
Box office performance
| Film | Release date | Box office gross | Budget | Ref(s) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America |
Other territories |
Worldwide | ||||||
| The Karate Kid | June 22, 1984 | $90,815,558 | $90,815,558 | $8 million | [4] | |||
| The Karate Kid Part II | June 20, 1986 | $115,103,979 | $115,103,979 | $13 million | [5] | |||
| The Karate Kid Part III | June 30, 1989 | $38,956,288 | $38,956,288 | $12.5 million | [6] | |||
| The Next Karate Kid | September 9, 1994 | $8,914,777 | $6,912,207 | $15,826,984 | $12 million | [7] | ||
| The Karate Kid | June 11, 2010 | $176,591,618 | $182,534,404 | $359,126,022 | $40 millon | [8] | ||
| Total | $430,382,220 | $189,446,611 | $619,828,831 | $85.5 million | [9] | |||
List indicator(s)
| ||||||||
Critical response
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| The Karate Kid (1984) | 90% (42 reviews)[10] | |
| The Karate Kid Part II | 43% (23 reviews)[11] | |
| The Karate Kid Part III | 16% (32 reviews)[12] | |
| The Next Karate Kid | 7% (27 reviews)[13] | |
| The Karate Kid (2010) | 65% (203 reviews)[14] | 61 (37 reviews)[15] |
| Cobra Kai: Season 1 | 100% (30 reviews)[16] | |
Music
Soundtrack
Merchandise
The film spawned a franchise of related items and memorabilia such as action figures, head bands, posters, T-shirts, and a video game. A novelization was made by B.B. Hiller and published in 1984. The novel had a scene that was in the rehearsal when Daniel encounters Johnny during school at lunch. Also at the end, there was a battle between Miyagi and Kreese in the parking lot after the tournament which was the original ending for the film and used as the beginning of The Karate Kid Part II.
In 2015, toy company Funko revived The Karate Kid action figures. Two versions of character Daniel Larusso, a version of character Johnny Lawrence and a version of Mr. Miyagi were part of the line. The toys were spotted at retailers Target and Amazon.com.[17]
Legacy
The series has been credited for popularizing Karate in the United States.[18][19]
The music video for the song "Sweep the Leg" by No More Kings stars William Zabka (who also directed the video) as a caricature of himself and features references to The Karate Kid, including cameo appearances by Zabka's former Karate Kid co-stars.[20]
Macchio and Zabka made a guest appearance as themselves in the How I Met Your Mother episode "The Bro Mitzvah". In the episode, Macchio is invited to Barney Stinson's bachelor party, leading to Barney shouting that he hates Macchio and that Johnny was the real hero of The Karate Kid. Towards the end of the episode, a clown in the party wipes off his makeup and reveals himself as Zabka.[21]
References
- ↑ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/cobra_kai/
- ↑ Forbes, Bruce David; Mahan, Jeffrey H. (November 17, 2005). Religion and Popular Culture in America (First ed.). Oakland, California: University of California Press. p. 31. ISBN 0520246896.
- ↑ Driscoll, Catherine (June 1, 2011). Teen Film: A Critical Introduction. Oxford: Berg Publishers. p. 136. ISBN 1847886868.
- ↑ "The Karate Kid (1984)". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ↑ "The Karate Kid Part II (1986)". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ↑ "The Karate Kid Part III (1989)". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ↑ "The Next Karate Kid (1994)". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ↑ "The Karate Kid (2010)". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ↑ "The Karate Kid Movies at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
- ↑ "The Karate Kid (1984) – Rotten Tomatoes". Flixster. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ↑ "The Karate Kid Part II (1986) – Rotten Tomatoes". Flixster. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ↑ "The Karate Kid Part III (1989) – Rotten Tomatoes". Flixster. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ↑ "The Next Karate Kid (1994) – Rotten Tomatoes". Flixster. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ↑ "The Karate Kid (2010) – Rotten Tomatoes". Flixster. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ↑ "The Karate Kid Reviews". CBS Interactive. Metacritic. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ↑ "Cobra Kai – Rotten Tomatoes". Flixster. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ "The Karate Kid (1984) Action Figures have been Revived by Funko". Z.Love's Entertainment Blog. 2015-10-10. Retrieved 2015-10-10.
- ↑ Powell, Larry; Garrett, Tom (20 December 2013). "The Films of John G. Avildsen: Rocky, The Karate Kid and Other Underdogs". McFarland. Retrieved 28 December 2017 – via Google Books.
- ↑ M.D, Lyle J. Micheli (17 November 2010). "Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine". SAGE Publications. Retrieved 28 December 2017 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Campbell, Christopher (June 6, 2010). "William Zabka-Directed Music Video, 'Sweep the Leg, Johnny'". Moviefone. AOL. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ↑ Gonzalez, Sandra (April 29, 2013). "'How I Met Your Mother' recap, 'Bro Mitzvah': The REAL Karate Kid". ew.com. Retrieved May 12, 2018.