Picture: Sony Pictures
One of the big blockbusters of the summer is about to land in theaters, and despite recent ties to Netflix, The Karate Kid franchise is heading back to theaters exclusively with this entry that’ll feature a few familiar faces for Cobra Kai fans. Don’t worry, though; the movie will slowly make its way onto Netflix, including being available in the United States, later this year.
Directed by Jonathan Entwistle and written by Rob Lieber, the movie serves as the sixth main entry in The Karate Kid universe and is headlined by the return of Ralph Macchio in his iconic role as Daniel LaRusso and Jackie Chan’s reprisal of Mr. Han, 15 years after his appearance alongside Jaden Smith. A retelling of familiar stories, the story centers on a kung fu prodigy moving to New York City and getting into trouble with the local kids.
Reviews have been pretty mixed on the new film thus far, ranging from RogerEbert criticizing the amount of lore that’s thrown at you in record time, while others praised its feel-good nature.
Does the new movie have any connection to Cobra Kai? Of course, the movie and the show share fundamental DNA given that it’s based within the same franchise, and a few actors have made their jump over. Addressing the movie during a round of interviews ahead of the final season of Cobra Kai earlier this year, showrunners Jon Hurwitz and Josh Heald confirmed the main commonality is that both star Daniel LaRusso.
The showrunners went further, speaking with The Direct, saying, “Well, it’s technically a ‘Karate Kid’ movie.” You know, that’s our show’s ‘Cobra Kai,’ and the commonality is they both have Daniel LaRusso. That movie is kind of branching off the tree from the Jackie Chan movie of 2010, and you’ll have to see how they tie those things together.”
Other comments from people connected to both the show and the movie seem to corroborate that, while they exist in the same universe and adhere to the same canon, they’re very much separate.
When will Karate Kid: Legends release on Netflix?
Thanks to a deal struck back in 2021 and expected to run through at least 2026, all Sony Pictures movies, whether through the main label or its smaller labels like Sony Pictures Classics, come to Netflix in the US through what’s known as the first window. That first window is 18 months following its exclusive theatrical window.
Generally speaking, Netflix receives new Sony Pictures movies around 120 days (sometimes give or take a week or two), which equates to around four months, meaning that at the moment, we can probably expect a release date for on or around September 27, 2025. Once on Netflix, it’ll remain for 18 months before jumping over to Disney+ and Hulu.
For more on Netflix’s slate of Sony movies still to come to Netflix US in 2025, keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix.
Will Karate Kid: Legends be on Netflix internationally?
Yes, but most regions of Netflix doesn’t have a first window deal like the United States. As we’ve covered before, India does get Sony movies around the same time as the US (late September), with most other regions then picking up between 2-4 years after its initial theatrical release in varying windows. The United Kingdom, for instance, owns the second window for the Sony Pictures movie, so it’ll stream there sometime in early 2027.
Are you heading out to the theaters to watch Karate Kid: Legends or will be you be waiting for it to jump on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
