The Karate Kid
“He taught him the secret to karate lies in the mind and heart. Not in the hands.”
Synopsis
New Jersey teen Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles with his mother, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of thugs, led by Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny, who study karate at the Cobra Kai dojo under ruthless sensei John Kreese. Fortunately, Daniel befriends Mr. Miyagi, an unassuming repairman who just happens to be a martial arts master himself. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing, training him in a more compassionate form of karate for self-defense and, later, preparing him to compete against the brutal Cobra Kai.
Part of the The Karate Kid Collection
Stream the entire interconnected saga and experience every installment in chronological storyline order.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Official TrailerOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2021-12-07
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Ralph Macchio
Daniel
Pat Morita
Miyagi
Elisabeth Shue
Ali
William Zabka
Johnny
Martin Kove
Kreese
Randee Heller
Lucille
Ron Thomas
Bobby
Rob Garrison
Tommy
Chad McQueen
Dutch
Tony O'Dell
Jimmy
Israel Juarbe
Freddy
William Bassett
Mr. Mills
Larry B. Scott
Jerry
Juli Fields
Susan
Dana Andersen
Barbara
Frank Burt Avalon
Chucky
Jeff Fishman
Billy
Ken Daly
Chris
Release History & Theatrical Window
May 10, 2025
Wide Cinema Exhibition
December 31, 1985
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$8M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$91.1M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
11.39x
+$83.1M net gain
Theatrical Status
Mega Hit
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- John G. Avildsen
- Screenplay & Story
- Robert Mark Kamen, Allee Willis, Dennis Lambert, Peter Beckett
- Original Score
- Bill Conti
- Original Title
- The Karate Kid
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English
- Runtime
- 2h 7m
- Production Budget
- $8M
- Worldwide Gross
- $91.1M
- Production Studios
- Columbia Pictures, Delphi II Productions, Jerry Weintraub Productions
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
John G. Avildsen
Robert Mark Kamen, Allee Willis, Dennis Lambert, Peter Beckett
Bill Conti
James Crabe
John G. Avildsen, Walt Mulconery, Bud S. Smith
Jerry Weintraub, R.J. Louis
Department Leadership Roster
Jerry Weintraub
Producer
John G. Avildsen
Editor
James Crabe
Director of Photography
John G. Avildsen
Director
Walt Mulconery
Editor
William J. Cassidy
Production Design
Bud S. Smith
Editor
Bill Conti
Original Music Composer
Alan Oliney
Stunt Coordinator
Robert Mark Kamen
Writer
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
PG: Parental Guidance Suggested — May contain mild violence or suggestive material.
International Certification Matrix
Parental Guidance — Recommended for mature viewers.
FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.
Tous publics — Universal audience.
Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.
Parental Guidance Suggested — May contain mild violence or suggestive material.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Karate Kid.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Karate Kid.
Movies That I have watched all
All of my ratings are the movies that I have seen.
Childhood 💚
Movie's I can remember from my childhood in the 90s 😳😅
Dual Audio Hindi Movies
Automated renaming to: Dual Audio Hindi Movies
Dual Audio Hindi Movies Above 7
Automated renaming to: Dual Audio Hindi Movies Above 7
Movies Watched
Movie Watched List
Movies Watched
Similar Titles to The Karate Kid
Movies sharing stylistic DNA, tone, and thematic storytelling
7.1
7.2
6.2
6.3
10.0
6.4
6.9
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 2 3"%3E%3Crect width="2" height="3" fill="%23161922"/%3E%3C/svg%3E)
1.0Cigarette
7.0
7.1
7.2
6.3
6.6
6.1
7.0
6.4
More Like The Karate Kid
Recommended titles matching themes, cast, and genres.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Karate Kid
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Karate Kid about?
New Jersey teen Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles with his mother, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of thugs, led by Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny, who study karate at the Cobra Kai dojo under ruthless sensei John Kreese. Fortunately, Daniel befriends Mr. Miyagi, an unassuming repairman who just happens to be a martial arts master himself. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing, training him in a more compassionate form of karate for self-defense and, later, preparing him to compete against the brutal Cobra Kai.
Who directed The Karate Kid?
The Karate Kid was directed by John G. Avildsen.
Who stars in The Karate Kid?
The principal cast of The Karate Kid includes Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, William Zabka, Martin Kove.
When was The Karate Kid released and how long is it?
The Karate Kid was released in 1984 with a total runtime of 2h 7m.
What was the box office and production budget of The Karate Kid?
The Karate Kid had a reported production budget of $8M and grossed $91.1M at the worldwide box office (11.39 return on budget, classified as a blockbuster success).
Who composed the musical score for The Karate Kid?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The Karate Kid was composed by Bill Conti.
What is the age rating and content advisory for The Karate Kid?
The Karate Kid holds official age classifications: AU: PG (Parental Guidance — Recommended for mature viewers.); DE: 12 (FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.); FR: U (Tous publics — Universal audience.); GB: PG (Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.); US: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested — May contain mild violence or suggestive material.).