Generation Xers may have bemoaned the redo of their 1984 childhood favorite The Karate Kid (I know I did) with none other than silver spooner Jaden Smith taking on the Ralph Macchio role. But, perhaps the results from Sony’s early test screening of the movie from director Harold Zwart (The Pink Panther) will win converts to rejiggering Mr. Miyagi’s karate-lessons-hidden-in-manual labor. (Jackie Chan takes on the Wax on, Wax off mentor role.)
The studio tells EW that the film scored just below Sony’s highest research screening ever, 2005′s Hitch, which ironically starred Jaden Smith’s dad Will, the last reigning movie star. With positive scores in the 97th percentile, the movie, which doesn’t open until June 11, might be one of those films that outdoes everyone’s expectations. Not that it’s likely to match Hitch’s gross, but that film did earn close to $370 million worldwide. The movie’s biggest challenge now will be going up with another ’80s classic: The A-Team, starring Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson, which makes June 11 one fat nostalgia fest. Here is The Karate Kid trailer, below. And check out The A-Team here. Are you intrigued?
Not too surprised. The final scene in the original Karate Kid was the biggest crowd-pleaser I’ve ever seen. Audiences erupted every single time (I worked at a theater and watched the reaction night after night). If the new one is half that good, it will do blockbuster business.
Please, this some sort of contrived ploy after so many people are trashing the trailer. It looks beyond stupid. Daddy got his little boy a role, that is all this is. The only reason to do a remake is if there was a way to improve on the original or if the original was really bad. This is not the case here. Will Smith’s ego is at work, thats all. It may do well at the box office just by people being curious, but it will be forgotten soon after. The orignial was good enough.
geez debbie downer go get happy why dontcha
Oh please just about every movie on the planet has been remade, now all of a sudden you people are having a problem with ‘Karate Kid’?? I bet if some annoying little white boy was starring in the title role, you’d ALL be lining up to see it!!!!!!!!!!
Why would you bring race into this?
It’s time to stop remakes and come up with something original
Racist moron. A day after MLK day, even. What a loser you are. Way to honor the man’s legacy, fool.
Love,
Just another Cracker.
This movie will work with kids, but I still think it stinks that it’s being redone. As a huge fan of the original and as a mom, I just can’t see this one. My kids have already seen the original and loved it. Why ruin things???
I know I am a child of the 80′s, but karate in China!? I think it insults both Chinese and Japanese cultures.
I know! If the movie is going to be in China, i should be the Kung Fu Kid..either that, i have a Japanese action start not Jackie Chang!!
The martial arts style being practiced in the remake is kung fu (Chan said in an interview that he thinks the Chinese title probably will be “The Kung Fu Kid”). The title’s really just being kept because it’s a brand name.
This is gonna be an unmitigated disaster. The whole time everyone will be comparing it to the original. Like “The Longest Yard” and “Bad News Bears”, this is another movie that just didn’t need a remake.
Sony really needs to expand their research screening audiences beyond Will Smith’s family.
HA!
Well since I didn’t think much of Hitch either, this news does nothing for me. I hate to be one of those people who’s made up his mind before even seeing the movie, but in this case…I’ve made up my mind.
Considering I don’t think this remake should even EXIST, there’s no winning me over.
Pat Morita 4 life
The screenings were probably positive because most of the audience members were little kids who have not even heard of the original. And yes, I am against this film.
of course sony told ew that. sony just failed to mention that the test screen audience was a school class of 10 year old boys…jackie chan is no mr miyagi.
Exactly what I was thinking. This won’t go over well with anyone who isn’t a kid. Daniel is supposed to be a teen with girl issues and Mr. Miyagi’s scene where he talks about his wife is one of the most powerful put to film, earning Pat Morita an Oscar nomination. I just can’t see Jackie Chan having the same gravitas. Not to mention China and Japan are entirely different countries/cultures! Ugh.
The test audience would consist of whichever demographics they most want to target the film to, so that wouldn’t matter.
What a coincidence this movie tested as well s Hitch whihc, coincidentally, starred his father! What a coincidence. SHould never have been remade and W Smith’s kid should get a real job. Holywood nepotism. This will SUCK IMO.
Were you typing with boxing gloves on???
He’s a little kid doofus, what type of job do you suggest he gets? An accountant perhaps?? And besides, he doesn’t have to now does he?? His daddy is richer beyond your wild dreams isn’t he?? Jealous much
He’s a little kid doofus, what type of job do you suggest he gets? An accountant perhaps?? And besides, he doesn’t have to now does he?? His daddy is richer beyond your wild dreams isn’t he?? Jealous much aren’t you???
Thanks for pointing out that the article says “ironic” when “coincidental” is a much more accurate term. It would be ironic if, say, by testing nearly as high to his dad’s old movie, studios stopped giving roles to Will Smith and instead gave them to his son.
part of the draw for me, as a teen back then, was that Ralph Macchio was hot (shudder now). I’m not annoyed that the movie was remade but seriously..Jaden is SO young. I’m sure he’ll do a beautiful job but he’s too little for the teen girls to be swooning about him. Just sayin’. I hope it’s good and it’s successful. I’m sure these kids have their parents’ uber-talent. :0
i LOVE LOVE LOVE will smith but his kids IRRITATE the crap out of me. they are so percocious i wanna puke.
You sound like a garden variety HATER to me.
I’m sorry, I saw this trailer at the big screen and I wanted to throw up.
The Karate Kid in China??? WHat the HECK!!!! Part of the charm of the original Mr. Miyagi was, he stuck out in the crowd and Daniel had to learn to appreciate his culture and ways.
In China, Miyagi will be nothing special and it completely destroys what made the original so great
Child of the 80′s here who says its way too soon for studios to remake these movies. I have told every person I know that we will no longer be friends if they ever watch this drivel. Commercials on my tv will result in my changing chanels and any issue of EW covering this will be thrown in the trash or returned to send. Drastic and silly, absolutely, but my first crush was Ralph Macchio, and Karate 1 and 2 will always have a special place in my heart. Jackie Chan, Will Smith’s offspring and this movie can go practice the Crane in the Pacific Ocean and never return
I completely agree. I hate when writers for national publications botch simple things like that. And they wonder why newspapers and magazines are going under. They are too busy “scooping” and couldn’t care less about respect-building “polishing”. I am a writer by trade and wince when I see a typo or grammatical error. Oh, and to keep it relevant, KK remake will be an abomination. It will make the Bewitched movie look like a John Huston classic.
It’s not irony, it’s a coincidence that his dad was in Hitch.
The ironic part is you are a writer for a national publication, and used the term ‘irony’ incorrectly
The 80s version was hardly some classic that is untouchable. It was a good movie for its time, lots of good memories, but c’mon. Meanwhile, my three boys (ages 10, 8 and 4) saw the trailer and thought this looked fantastic. They can’t wait to see the new movie. If you are seriously going to comment here on the movie industry, you need to think about it from the perspective of different audiences and not simply like a 45 year old who can’t let the 80s go.
I don’t think everyone is necessarily having a problem with letting go of the 80′s. I think it is more about how there just doesn’t seem to be any originality anymore. Want proof? The Karate Kid is opening against THE A TEAM. Jeez, what year is this. You should look back at variety’s week ending box office chart for the week the original KK opened. It’ll break yourf heart when you see what was on screens then compared to now.