DevelopmentOn November 10, 2008, Va

Development

On November 10, 2008, Variety reported that work on a Karate Kid remake had begun.[7][8] Variety stated that the new film, to be produced by Will Smith, "has been refashioned as a star vehicle for Jaden Smith" and that it would "borrow elements from the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor."[9] On June 22, 2009, Jackie Chan told a Los Angeles Chinatown concert crowd that he was leaving for Beijing to film the remake as Jaden Smith's teacher.[8]

Despite maintaining the original title, the 2010 remake does not feature karate, which is from Okinawa, but focuses on the main character learning kung fu in China. Chan told interviewers that film cast members generally referred to the film as The Kung Fu Kid, and he believed the film would only be called The Karate Kid in America, and The Kung Fu Kid in China.[10] This theory held true in the People's Republic of China, where the film is titled The Kung Fu Dream (Chinese: 功夫梦),[11] and in Japan[12] and South Korea,[13] where the film is titled Best Kid (Japanese: ベスト・キッド; Korean: 베스트 키드) after the local title of the 1984 film in both countries.

Sony had considered changing title of the film, but Jerry Weintraub, one of the producers, rejected the idea. Weintraub was also the producer of the original Karate Kid.[14]
Filming

The Chinese government granted the filmmakers access to the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, and the Wudang Mountains. On some occasions, the filmmakers had to negotiate with residents who were not accustomed to filming activity.[15]
Music

Icelandic composer Atli Örvarsson was originally hired to score the film, but he was replaced by American composer James Horner. The Karate Kid marked Horner's return to scoring after his work on the 2009 film Avatar.[16] The score was released on June 15, 2010.[17]

The official theme song to the film is "Never Say Never", a song written by Adam Messinger, Justin Bieber, Travis Garland, Omarr Rambert, and others, and produced by The Messengers (Adam Messinger and Nasri Atweh). It is performed by Bieber and Jaden Smith. The music video was released on May 31, 2010.[18]

The film started with "Do You Remember" by Jay Sean. "Remember the Name" by Fort Minor was used in the trailer to promote the movie. Parts of the song, "Back in Black" by AC/DC and "Higher Ground" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, were also used in the movie. The song "Hip Song" by Rain is used for promotion in the Asian countries and it appeared in the trailer. The music video was released on May 22, 2010.[19] "Bang Bang" by K'naan featuring Adam Levine and "Say" by John Mayer are also featured in the movie.[20] It also features Lady Gaga's "Poker Face", Flo Rida's "Low" and Gorillaz' "Dirty Harry" (being performed in Chinese). An abbreviated form of Frédéric Chopin's Nocturne No. 20 is featured, arranged for strings, in Meiying's violin audition scene, along with Sergei Rachmaninoff's piano transcription of "Flight of the Bumblebee" by Rimsky-Korsakov.
Release and reception

The film premiered May 26 in Chicago, with appearances by Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, and a brief surprise appearance from Will Smith.[21]

The United Kingdom premiere was held July 15. It was attended by Chan and Smith, as well as producers Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.[22]

In the Mainland China version of the film, scenes of bullying were shortened by the censors, and a kissing scene is removed. John Horn said that the editing ultimately resulted in "two slightly different movies".[15]
Critical response

The Karate Kid received generally mixed reviews.[23] Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 66% based on 203 reviews, and the average rating is 6.2/10. The site's consensus reads: "It may not be as powerful as the 1984 edition, but the 2010 Karate Kid delivers a surprisingly satisfying update on the original."[24] Metacritic, another review aggregator, rated the film 61/100 based on 37 reviews from mainstream critics.[25]

Ann Hornaday described Jaden Smith as a revelation, and that he "proves that he's no mere beneficiary of dynastic largesse. Somber, self-contained and somehow believable as a kid for whom things don't come easily, he never conveys the sense that he's desperate to be liked. 'The Karate Kid' winds up being so likable itself."[26] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it a positive review, rating the film three and a half out of four stars, and calling it "a lovely and well-made film that stands on its own feet".[27] Claudia Puig of USA Today and Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly each rated the film a 'B', stating "the chemistry between Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan grounds the movie, imbuing it with sincerity and poignance" and that the film is "fun and believable".[28][29]

Simon Abrams of Slant Magazine gave the film one and a half stars and noted "The characters just aren't old enough to be convincing in their hormone-driven need to prove themselves" and "This age gap is also a huge problem when it comes to the range that these kids bring to the project" and noted the portrayal of the child antagonist Cheng includes an "overblown and overused grimace, which looks like it might have originally belonged to Dolph Lundgren, looks especially silly on a kid that hasn't learned how to shave yet." Finally, Abrams noted "What's most upsetting is Dre's budding romance with Meiying. These kids have yet to hit puberty and already they're swooning for each other."[30]
Box office

The film was released on June 11, 2010 by Columbia Pictures to 3,663 theaters across the United States. The Karate Kid topped the box office on its opening day, grossing $18.8 million, and in its opening weekend, grossing $56 million[3] in North America, beating The A-Team, which grossed an estimated $9.6 million on the same opening day, and $26 million in its opening weekend.[31] It closed on September 18, 2010, after 101 days of release, grossing $176.7 million in the US and Canada along with an additional $182 million overseas for a worldwide total of $358 million, on a moderate budget of $40 million.[3]
Awards and nominations

People's Choice Awards 2011[32]

Favorite Family Movie (Nominated)
Favorite On-Screen Team – Jaden Smith & Jackie Chan (Nominated)
Favorite Action Star – Jackie Chan (Won)

2011 Kids' Choice Awards[33]

Favorite Movie (Won)
Favorite Buttkicker (Jackie Chan) (Won)
Favorite Movie Actor (Jaden Smith) (Nominated)

2011 MTV Video Music Aid Japan[34]

Best Song from a Movie ("Never Say Never" by Justin Bieber featuring Jaden Smith) (Nominated)

2011 MTV Movie Awards[35]

Biggest Badass Star (Jaden Smith) (Nominated)

32nd Young Artist Awards[36]

Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film (Jaden Smith) (Won)

2010 Teen Choice Awards[37]

Choice Summer: Movie (Nominated)

Sequel

It was announced in June 2010 that Sony's Columbia Pictures would be developing a sequel with Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, and Taraji P. Henson reprising their roles as Dre, Mr Han, and Dre's mother, Sherry, respectively.

It was announced in April 2014 that Breck Eisner will helm the sequel as director with Chan and Smith confirmed to return.[38] On June 25, 2014, Jeremiah Friedman and Nick Palmer were named as the writers to pen the film's script.[39]