The domestic Box Office is on fire again, thanks to the remake of “The Karate Kid.” Over the weekend the re-do of the 1984 hit, starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, demolished the competition with a debut of $55.7 million — to become the number one movie in the country.
The updated “Karate Kid” probably should have been called, “The Kung Fu Kid.” In the plot, a 12-year-old kid from Detroit and his single working mother move to China, where he’s bullied and eventually hooks up with a Kung Fu master who teaches him the art of self-defense. Oh, the producers of this new Box Office smash include the celebrity parents of Jaden Smith, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.
The other big movie of the weekend, “The A-Team” got slammed by a kid not yet old enough to drive. The film version of the old TV series of the same title, managed to ring-up only $25.7 million. The budget, according to Box Office Mojo, was somewhere around $110 million. This expensive action flick is about four US-Special-Forces-type soldiers who complete a mission in Iraq only to ended up framed for a crime and must then fight to clear their names. It was in development for more than 10 years. The cast includes Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, and Jessica Biel.
After three weeks at number one, the animated 3D movie, “Shrek Forever After,” dropped to third place with $15.8 million. The comedy “Get Him to the Greek” earned $9.9 million, good enough for fourth. Rounding out the top five, the action/comedy/romance “Killers” with $8 million.
