Jackie Chan, Ben Wang and Ralph Macchio in “Karate Kid: Legends.”
Karate Kid: Legends, starring Ralph Macchio, Jackie Chan and Ben Wang, is new in theaters. When will it be available to stream at home?
Rated PG-13, Karate Kid: Legends is the sixth film in the action franchise, which began with The Karate Kid in 1984 starring Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita as Mr. Miyagi, William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence and Martin Kove as John Kreese. The film was followed by The Karate Kid Part II in 1986, The Karate Kid Part III in 1989 and The Next Karate Kid in 1994.
After that, Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith starred as Mr. Han and Dre Parker in 2010’s remake of The Karate Kid. Then, in 2018, Macchio, Zabka and later on, Kove, returned to the franchise with the YouTube Red-turned-Netflix series Cobra Kai, which ran for six seasons until earlier this year.
Karate Kid: Legends opens in theaters in wide release on Friday. The official summary for the film reads, “When kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) relocates to New York City with his mother (Ming-Na Wen) to attend a prestigious new school, he finds solace in a new friendship with a classmate and her father. But his newfound peace is short-lived after he attracts unwanted attention from a formidable local karate champion.
“Driven by a desire to defend himself, Li embarks on a journey to enter the ultimate karate competition. Guided by the wisdom of his kung fu teacher, Mr. Han and the legendary Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso, Li merges their unique styles to prepare for an epic martial arts showdown.”
Currently, the only way you can see Karate Kid: Legends is in theaters, so check your local listings for showtimes.
When Karate Kid: Legends arrives on the home entertainment scene, its first stop will be on digital streaming via premium video on demand. Sony Picture Entertainments, which is the studio behind Karate Kid: Legends, generally has a one-month to six-week window between the time its films open in theaters and arrive on PVOD.
For example, Sony’s Venom: The Last Dance opened in theaters on Oct. 25, 2024, and debuted on PVOD about six weeks later on Dec. 10. More recently, however, Sony’s horror thriller Until Dawn opened in theaters on April 25 and debuted just under a month later on PVOD on May 23.
If Karate Kid: Legends follows the same one-month to six-week release pattern as the above-mentioned titles, then viewers can expect the film to debut on PVOD anytime between July 1 and July 15 since new film releases on PVOD typically come out on Tuesdays.
Generally, PVOD titles are available for purchase or rent on such digital platforms as Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Prime Video and YouTube.
Which Streaming Service Will Get ‘Karate Kid’ Legends’ First?
Since Sony Pictures Entertainment has a deal in place with the platform for its streaming video on demand debuts, Karate Kid: Legends will first appear on Netflix.
Typically it takes three to four months from the time a Sony film opens in theaters to the time it arrives on Netflix. For example, Venom: The Last Dance, which opened in theaters on Oct. 25, 2024, and arrived on Netflix four months later, on Feb. 25.
More recently, the Sony horror thriller Heart Eyes, which opened in theaters on Feb. 7, made its debut on Netflix just over three months later on May 8.
If Karate Kid: Legends follows the same three- to four-month release pattern, then viewers can expect the film to arrive on Netflix anytime between Aug. 29 and Sept. 26.
Directed by Jonathan Entwistle and also starring Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Wyatt Oleff and Aramis Knight, Karate Kid: Legends opens in theaters on Friday.
