"Karate Kid: Legends" Set for a $25 Million Debut Weekend

The much-anticipated “Karate Kid: Legends” is projected to earn a hefty $25 million in its opening weekend, banking on the popularity of its leading stars, Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio. The film, released by Sony Pictures, builds upon the success of Netflix series “Cobra Kai” and has enough buzz to potentially rake in as much as $30 million, according to some rival studio predictions.

Despite respectable trackings, it will not topple Disney's “Lilo & Stitch” from its reigning position at the box office, having earned a whopping $182.6 million over one single holiday weekend. The family movie is also expected to exceed $400 million globally by Thursday, marking one of the most successful releases of the year.

“Karate Kid: Legends” will also go neck and neck with another sequel “Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning” for the second spot. The latter, starring Tom Cruise, is likely to add more than $30 million to the $79 million earned during its premiere weekend. However, considering its $400 million production costs, the movie has to maintain its momentum in order to break even.

A24’s “Bring Her Back,” a new Australian supernatural horror wide release, is also set to make a mark with a predicted debut of $6 million. Following a thrilling narrative about siblings who stumble upon a horrifying ritual at their foster mother’s home, the movie has generated quite the buzz and could potentially exceed expectations. The film holds a promising 90% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising both the movie and Sally Hawkins’ lead performance.

The release of “The Phoenician Scheme” by Focus Features is also on the radar. Directed by Wes Anderson, the film will premiere in limited release. While the movie industry continues to recover from a turbulant phase marked by strikes and pandemics, the Memorial Day box office set promising records as theaters look forward to the momentum created by hits like “Lilo & Stitch,” “A Minecraft Movie,” and “Sinners.”