

The film was also a commercial success, grossing over $130 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 1984 and Hollywood's biggest sleeper hit of the year. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised the action sequences, writing, storyline, acting performances, and music. The Karate Kid was theatrically released in the United States on June 22, 1984. The film was Macchio's second major film role following The Outsiders (1983).

Principal photography began on October 31, 1983, in Los Angeles, and completed by December 16, 1983. Preparations for the film began immediately after the final edit of the script was complete, and casting took place between April and June 1983. As a result, he maintained strong opinions regarding cast, and petitioned heavily for Morita's inclusion. Kamen drew inspiration from his own life when writing the film. Kamen was approached by Columbia Pictures to compose a film similar to Avildsen's previous success Rocky (1976), after signing the director. Miyagi (Morita) to help defend himself and compete in a tournament against his bullies, one of whom is Johnny Lawrence (Zabka), the ex-boyfriend of his love interest Ali Mills (Shue). The Karate Kid follows Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), a teenager taught karate by Mr. It is the first installment in the Karate Kid franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and William Zabka. The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G.
