The stars of Sony‘s Karate Kid: Legends brought the martial arts franchise’s latest film to CinemaCon.
The project’s elaborate presentation began with a group of onstage dancers, percussionists and individuals holding lanterns. After that, hitting the stage at the Las Vegas event on Monday was first Karate Kid star Ralph Macchio, who played the titular hero Daniel LaRusso in Columbia’s 1984 original feature and the Netflix revival series Cobra Kai. Joining him was franchise addition Ben Wang, who plays Li Fong, a martial arts student who counts Daniel and Jackie Chan‘s Mr. Han as his mentors.
Before introducing new footage, Wang claimed that Macchio had gotten him to wax his car and help him with other menial tasks. “Ralph, I’ve been doing your chores all week,” a flustered Wang quipped. “I thought you were teaching me some kind of Miyagi thing.” According to Macchio, it was all just part of hazing the new guy.
The new footage included an emotional scene of Chan’s Mr. Han paying his respects to the late Mr. Miyagi and bonding with Daniel LaRusso. “I want Li to learn Miyagi karate,” Chan says in the sequence. Another clip showed at CinemaCon had a lot more action.
Director Jonathan Entwistle’s Karate Kid: Legends is set for theatrical release May 30 and picks up three years after the events of the fifth and final season of Cobra Kai, which launched on Netflix last month.
The action franchise kicked off in 1984 with the release of The Karate Kid, featuring Macchio’s character attempting to become a champion under the tutelage of the late Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi. There were three sequels, two of which starred Macchio, before the 2010 remake led by Chan and Jaden Smith.
Karate Kid: Legends brings Chan and Macchio together for the first time in the series. The franchise has seen a new wave of popularity with Cobra Kai, which premiered on YouTube Red in May 2018 before shifting to Netflix.
CinemaCon is the annual event for exhibitors and Hollywood studios that runs this year from March 31 to April 3. It is presented by Cinema United (formerly the National Association of Theater Owners).