Quick question – When we say, “If you think only with your eyes, you are easy to fool.” Which movie does it remind you of? You got it! It is The Karate Kid – Jackie Chan said it to Xiao Dre. Feeling like watching the movie again? Or looking for some motivation from any of the earlier karate kid movies? Do you want to know where to watch Karate Kid? Don’t worry! We have got you covered. Here are some interesting details and cool places to watch The Karate Kid.
Table of Contents
The Karate Kid Movie Tetralogy
Wu Ji bi fan – Too much anything isn’t good.
But we still can’t get enough of The Karate Kid. And perhaps the makers also understand the popularity of these movies. So, they keep satiating our thirst for more with remakes and sequels of this franchise.
In all, there are five The Karate Kid movies.
- The first one was released in 1984.
- The second one was released in 1986.
- The third one was out in 1989.
- The fourth one was released in 1994.
- The last one to release was in 2010.
- And there is yet another waiting in the pipeline, the tentative date of which is 2024.
The Karate Kid Part 1
The first one was released in 1984, on June 22. It was written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. The star cast of the first installment of The Karate Kid consisted of Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, and William Zabka. Macchio played the role of the teenager, who got trained in karate by Mr. Miyagi – played by Morita.
The movie was produced by Jerry Weintraub. The budget of this movie was $8 million, and it generated a revenue of more than $130 million worldwide. It became the highest-grossing movie of the year.
Where to watch Karate Kid Part 1 – you can watch it on Netflix, The Roku Channel, ViX: Cine, TV, Deportes Gratis, Spectrum TV, Sling TV – Live Sports, News, Shows + Freestream, Philo, ROW8, Prime Video, Redbox., Vudu or Apple TV, or on any Roku device.
The Karate Kid Part 2
The 1986-released first sequel in the franchise was made on a budget of $13 million. It opened in more than 1300 theaters across North America on June 20 and grossed more than $115,103,979 from those theaters. The film grossed $130 million worldwide – almost the same as Part 1.
The Karate Kid Part 2 received mixed responses from critics and audiences. This one was also produced by Jerry Weintraub. The Karate Kid Part 2 had the same director and scriptwriter – John G. Avildsen and Robert Mark Kamen respectively. The lead roles were played by the same actors. With his performance, Morita bagged a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Where to watch Karate Kid Part 2 – This movie is on Netflix, fuboTV, AMC Plus Apple TV Channel, DIRECTV, or The Roku Channel.
The Karate Kid Part 3
The second sequel (or the third movie) was released on June 30, 1989. It was the same team that worked on this movie.
- Director – John G. Avildsen
- Producer – Jerry Weintraub
- Scriptwriter – Robert Mark Kamen
- Lead Roles – Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi
In addition, there were other actors like Robyn Lively and Thomas Ian Griffith in the star cast in the third installment.
On a production budget of $12.5 million, the film generated an earning of approximately $112 million. The film received negative reviews and was not as successful as its predecessors.
The movie received a lot of negative criticism from movie critics. For example, Scott Weinberg of the JoBlo website criticized The Karate Kid Part 3 as ‘where the wheels started to come off’. Thereafter, it was nominated for 5 Razzies at the 1989 Golden Raspberry Awards:
- Worst Picture (Jerry Weintraub)
- Worst Screenplay (Robert Mark Kamen)
- Worst Director (John G. Avildsen)
- Worst Actor (Macchio)
- Worst Supporting Actor (Pat Morita)
Where to watch Karate Kid Part 3 – You can watch it on Netflix or Disney+ platforms. You can buy or rent it on Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, and iTunes.
The Karate Kid Part 4
With the part 4 installment of The Karate Kid movie series, there was a change in the direction and script writing. Although the producer was the same Jerry Weintraub, the director this time was Christopher Cain. Mark Lee was the scriptwriter. And they changed the name to The Next Karate Kid.
There was a change in the star cast, though Pat Morita still was in the role of Mr. Miyagi. This time the lead character was played by Hilary Swank as Julie Pierce.
The movie was released on August 12, 1994. It grossed $8.9 million, making it the least commercially successful movie of the series.
Where to watch Karate Kid Part 4 – You can watch it on Netflix. Additionally, it is available on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, and Vudu.
The Karate Kid (2010)
It took another six years and a completely different team to revive the magic of The Karate Kid movies. Harald Zwart directed the movie and Will Smith, Ken Stovitz, James Lassiter, Jerry Weintraub & Jada Pinkett Smith collectively produced it.
The star cast consisted of one of the richest and most highly-paid actors in the world – Jackie Chan. He played the role of an aging maintenance man Mr. Han, who is also an expert in the martial arts form Kung Fu. Along with Chan, the movie also has the son of the extremely popular actor of our times Will Smith. Smith’s son, Jaden Smith, is playing the lead role of a pre-teen kid – Dre Parker. We find Dre struggling to find his feet in a foreign land. He is a sweet and lovable, but underdog character that tugs at our heartstrings.
Apart from Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, the star cast also included:
- Taraji P. Henson in the role of Dre’s mother
- Wenwen Han in the role of Dre’s love interest
- and Zhenwei Wang is the bully Chen (the antagonist).
The movie had a nominal budget of $40 million. It proved to be both a commercial success and won many awards. At the box office, it made a total collection of
- $176 million in the US and Canada
- $359 million worldwide
Nominations and Awards Won by The Karate Kid (2010)
- People’s Choice Awards 2011
- Favorite Family Movie (Nominated)
- Favorite On-Screen Team – Jaden Smith & Jackie Chan (Nominated)
- Favorite Action Star – Jackie Chan (Won)
- 2011 Kids’ Choice Awards
- Favorite Movie (Won)
- Favorite Buttkicker (Jackie Chan) (Won)
- Favorite Movie Actor (Jaden Smith) (Nominated)
- 2011 MTV Video Music Aid Japan
- Best Song from a Movie (“Never Say Never” by Justin Bieber featuring Jaden Smith) (Nominated)
- 2011 MTV Movie Awards
- Biggest Badass Star (Jaden Smith) (Nominated)
- 32nd Young Artist Awards
- Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film (Jaden Smith) (Won)
- 2010 Teen Choice Awards
- Choice Summer: Movie (Nominated)
Where to watch Karate Kid (2010)
You can watch this highly engaging movie on Netflix. You can also catch it on Zee5, Tata Play, Tubi – Free Movies & TV, Wracanal10Tv, HBO Max, Prime Video, Redbox., Vudu, or Apple TV.
Conclusive Insight
Whether you are watching with family or alone, all of the above movies are good sources of entertainment. Now that you know where to watch Karate Kid, you can get a subscription to Netflix, or renew it (if you have one). If not, you can rent or buy it at any of the above-mentioned places. To make your weekend an action-packed one, or to get some serious motivation, you can download any The Karate Kid movie and watch it ad-free.
