‘The Karate Kid’ Returning To Cinemas In Celebration Of 35th Anniversary

It was June of 1984 when the original film The Karate Kid was released in theaters. The film, featuring Ralph Macchio as Daniel, quickly became a cult classic that is still much loved today.

As a result of the movie’s continued popularity, Fathom Events has paired with Sony Pictures Entertainment to bring the film back into cinemas for just two days in celebration of the 35th anniversary. According to Comic Book, The Karate Kid will be in theaters again on March 31 and April 2.

The film has been given a bit of a spruce ahead of its re-release, and will be showing in 4K this time around, after the original negatives were restored.

Fans who plan on watching the film will also be treated to other surprises. Macchio and his bully from the film, Johnny (played by William Zabka), will be giving a personal introduction before the screening. Viewers will also get an early preview of the second season of Cobra Kai, the spin-off series that was created from The Karate Kid.

Once the special screening is over, a new edition of the film will be released on disc on April 16 — in 4K UHD, of course — with a newly mixed audio track, and commentary on the film from both Macchio and Zabka added as a special feature.

The original Mr. Miyagi, Pat Morita, sadly passed away in 2005. Mr. Miyagi was the beloved handyman at the building Daniel and his family had moved into. Miyagi took pity on the kid who was being bullied, teaching him both karate and important life lessons.

‘The Karate Kid’ returning to theaters for its 35th anniversary https://t.co/qc5bbDPJWT pic.twitter.com/rvk5gHPHuf

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The film was a hit at the box office, and earned Morita an Oscar nomination for his supporting role.

Cobra Kai — the spin-off series which is a YouTube Premium original — features the adult Daniel and Johnny, along with the reopened Cobra Kai karate dojo. So far, the series has been a huge hit, even though it was released 34 years after the film came out in 2018. Season 2 is expected sometime this year, although an official release date hasn’t been revealed.

“While Cobra Kai does have the same nuances that the Karate Kid had, it’s a very new story that brings everything that you loved about the original movie without being a rehash,” Xolo Maridueña, who plays Miguel in the series, said last year. “In many ways, I think there are a good chunk of people who can relate to the Johnny storyline as much as they can with Daniel San’s. I love that Cobra Kai is the flip side.”