Karate Kid’s Newest Movie Becomes Worldwide Streaming Hit

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Ralph Macchio’s latest Karate Kid film is a hit with viewers around the globe, boosted by its incredibly high audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Macchio has been a key part of the Karate Kid story since the very beginning, not only starring in the original movie but also returning for the Cobra Kai series. He’s been a consistent and important presence throughout the franchise’s long run.

He most recently appeared in the 2025 film Karate Kid: Legends, where he worked alongside Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han to mentor Li Fong (Ben Wang), a promising new karate student. Critics gave the movie mixed reviews, with a 58% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, audiences loved it, giving it a 90% score – the highest of any film in the Karate Kid series.

According to FlixPatrol, Karate Kid: Legends is currently the fifth most popular movie on HBO Max globally, as of January 12, 2026. It’s the top movie in 13 countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia – and ranks fourth in Poland.

The recent international release of Karate Kid: Legends on HBO Max led to its huge popularity in many countries, making it a top movie on the platform worldwide this week. Unfortunately, it’s not available on HBO Max in the US. American viewers can find it on Netflix, but only with an ad-free subscription.

This movie continues the story from the end of Cobra Kai and the 2010 Karate Kid reboot with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. It introduces a fresh narrative within that world, keeping Mr. Miyagi’s student, played by Macchio, as a central figure while also focusing on a new young protagonist, Li. Like the original film, it’s a coming-of-age story told through the world of martial arts.

The movie’s consistent success – topping charts in many areas – proves it’s doing really well with audiences. Despite not being favored by critics, fans clearly love the series, as shown by its high audience ratings and popularity on streaming platforms. However, it’s still uncertain what the future holds for the franchise.

The new Karate Kid movie is doing well on HBO Max, especially after its release in many countries late last week. It’s likely to continue gaining popularity as more people worldwide discover it.

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2026-01-12 18:10