How big is the Karate Kid: Legends budget? Here's what they splurged on

The Karate Kid: Legends' budget was $45 million, covering intense martial arts choreography, CGI-enhanced fight sequences, and a star-studded cast. Every dollar contributed to crafting a high-energy sequel that honours the franchise while elevating its action-packed storytelling.

Key takeaways

• Karate Kid: Legends' budget covered CGI-enhanced fight scenes, stunts, set designs, and a high-profile cast led by Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio.
• Sony Pictures filmed the Kung Fu movie almost entirely in Montreal, Canada, investing heavily in transforming the city into a convincing New York backdrop.
• Karate Kid: Legends earned $21 million on its opening weekend, debuting third at the box office behind Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Lilo & Stitch.
• As of now, Karate Kid: Legends has grossed $50.1 million globally, nearly matching its production budget, with $24.1 million from domestic theatres and $26 million internationally.

Exploring Karate Kid: Legends' budget

The Kung Fu movie brought high-energy martial arts action to the big screen with a $45 million budget. From intense fight choreography to star-studded casting, every aspect of the production was carefully crafted to elevate the franchise's legacy. Below is the Karate Kid: Legends' financial breakdown:

Karate Kid: Legends production costs

As of this writing, the exact details of Karate Kid: Legends' production costs are unknown. But, given the superstar cast, Sony likely allocated a significant portion of the budget to the salaries of Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio.

In addition to cast expenses, the film's budget covered martial arts choreography, set designs, cinematography, filming location (Canada), and CGI enhancements.

For example, production designer Maya Sigel explained to The New York Post how she and her team turned the Montreal, Canada, film location into New York City.

The alley was one of these sets, and it was inspired by Cortlandt Alley in NYC and modified for our story and needs, including the stunts. Another was the rooftop set for the final Five Boroughs Tournament fight.

She continued:

It was written as the rooftop of a skyscraper in Manhattan, and we – the art department, director, cinematographer, production, VFX and stunts – all worked together for months figuring out what the best way to achieve this would be, and in the end we landed on the Volume.

We built the rooftop set on stage, had hundreds of extras, and the Volume work turned out looking good.

How much did the Karate Kid: Legends cast cost?

The exact earnings of the Karate Kid: Legends cast are unknown. However, 2024 estimates from Spoiler Bolavip suggested the cast salaries could approach $18 million, based on the then-assumed budget of $100 million. But, when Sony confirmed the film's net budget as $45 million, the rumoured cast salaries dropped to around $8 million.

The Karate Kid: Legends cast features a mix of returning stars and fresh faces. Jackie Chan reprises his role as Mr. Han, while Ralph Macchio returns as Daniel LaRusso. Ben Wàng plays the lead character, Li Fong, a young Kung Fu prodigy.

Other key cast members include Joshua Jackson as Victor Lipani, Sadie Stanley as Mia Lipani, Ming-Na Wen as Dr Fong, Aramis Knight as Conor Day, and Wyatt Oleff as Alan.

How much were Karate Kid: Legends' opening weekend earnings?

Karate Kid: Legends debuted with $20.3 million from 3,809 theatres, placing third at the box office behind Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Lilo & Stitch. The film earned $7.5 million on Friday, followed by $7.4 million on Saturday and $5.4 million on Sunday.

While early projections estimated an opening between $25 million and $30 million, the film fell short, likely due to strong competition and signs of franchise fatigue.

How much did Karate Kid Legends make?

As of this writing, Karate Kid Legends has earned $50,140,697 worldwide, with $24,140,697 coming from the domestic box office and $26,000,000 internationally. The film's strong debut of $20,302,016 in its opening weekend made up 84.2% of its total gross.

Which Karate Kid made the most money?

The highest-grossing Karate Kid movie is the 2010 remake, starring famous Black actor Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. It earned $359.1 million worldwide, making it the most successful film in the franchise, despite its production budget of $40 million.

How much money did Jaden Smith make from The Karate Kid?

According to Essence, Jaden Smith earned $3 million for his role in the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid. His contract included an upfront payment of $1 million, split into two instalments: $900,000 initially and $100,000 upon completion of the film.

Additionally, he received a $2 million bonus due to the movie's strong box office performance, which grossed $359 million worldwide.

Was Karate Kid low-budget?

Not exactly low-budget, but it was more modest compared to typical Hollywood blockbusters. With a $45 million production budget, Karate Kid: Legends was far less expensive than major franchise films, which often exceed $100 million or more.

The franchise has generally kept its budgets modest. For example, The original Karate Kid (1984) was produced on an $8 million budget, while its sequels, The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III (1989), each had budgets of $12.5 million. The Next Karate Kid (1994) followed with $12 million.

The franchise saw a significant budget increase with The Karate Kid (2010), which had a production budget of $40 million, and Karate Kid: Legends (2025), the highest-budgeted entry at $45 million. These Karate Kid: Legends budget details highlight the film’s growing scale while still staying relatively modest by blockbuster standards.

The Karate Kid: Legends' budget reached $45 million despite its famous cast and modern cinematography. While the budget isn't massive compared to blockbuster franchises, Sony Pictures managed to keep costs relatively controlled by filming in Montreal instead of New York City and utilising The Volume stage technology for digital effects.

Yen.com.gh recently covered an article about the most expensive movie ever made. Some of the highest-budget films include Avengers: Endgame, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

These movies have massive budgets due to extensive tech use, elaborate sets, top-tier actors, and large-scale marketing. So, which film holds the record for the most expensive production? Read the article to find out.

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh