Karate Kid: Legends carries the massive burden of expectations, but Cobra Kai season 6’s release date has put even more pressure on it. Before Cobra Kai came out and became immensely successful, the Karate Kid franchise was long dead after the 2010 reboot film. All subsequent movies in the original Karate Kid series offered diminishing returns and even the 2010 movie failed to revive the franchise. However, Cobra Kai proved that the franchise still had potential but only needed a new storytelling approach.
Since season 1, Cobra Kai has consistently landed positive reviews from viewers and critics. Even from a commercial standpoint, the show has performed incredibly well. If it wasn’t for Cobra Kai’s success, it seems unlikely that Karate Kid: Legends would even be considered. Owing to Cobra Kai’s ability to revitalize interest in the Karate Kid universe, Karate Kid: Legends faces the challenge of meeting high audience expectations. Cobra Kai season 6’s release date makes things even more complex for the upcoming film.
Cobra Kai Season 6’s Final Episodes Will Put More Pressure On Karate Kid: Legends To Be Great
Netflix strategically divided Cobra Kai season 6’s runtime into three parts, with the third one set to premiere on Netflix on February 13, 2025. Given how Karate Kid: Legends will hit the theaters on May 30, 2025, only a few months after Cobra Kai season 6’s final installment, viewers will expect big things from it. There would have been a gap of almost a year between Cobra Kai season 6 and Karate Kid: Legends if Netflix had released all episodes of the show’s final season in July 2024.
…With only a few months between Cobra Kai’s closing scene and Karate Kid: Legends, audiences will have fresh and vivid memories of the Cobra Kai universe and how it brilliantly expanded the original franchise.
A one-year gap would have allowed viewers to forget about Cobra Kai season 6’s finale and made them more open to accepting a new installment in the franchise. However, with only a few months between Cobra Kai’s closing season and Karate Kid: Legends, audiences will have fresh and vivid memories of the Cobra Kai universe and how it brilliantly expanded the original franchise. Owing to this, they will likely compare Karate Kid: Legends with Cobra Kai. Since Cobra Kai has consistently landed impressive critical ratings, Karate Kid: Legends will have high standards to live up to.
Cobra Kai Season 6, Parts 1 & 2 Have Paved The Way For A Satisfying Finale
Compared to its predecessors, Cobra Kai season 6, so far, has received more divisive reviews from viewers and critics. However, after parts 1 and 2’s intriguing story developments and part 2’s shocking finale, it is hard not to believe that part 3 will deliver a satisfying conclusion to the series. Karate Kid: Legends would benefit from this because the hype from Cobra Kai season 6’s ending would help fuel anticipation for its release.
At the same time, it would also put immense pressure on the film to perform as well as Cobra Kai, if not better. If the movie fails to live up to the high bar set by the Netflix series, it will become another wasted opportunity to capitalize on the Karate Kid legacy. From the looks of it, however, Karate Kid: Legends has the potential to become one of the better additions to the franchise and has the potential to pave the way for more follow-ups like Cobra Kai.
