The Karate Kid Kicks Out Competition - Becomes #1 Opening Jackie Chan Movie Of All Time In Us & India

Online, June 15, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Sony Pictures' Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan starrer THE KARATE KID has given a major blow to competition, easily gaining the #1 spot at the US box office this weekend with $56 million. In India too, the film easily outshone the two other high-profile Hollywood films releasing simultaneously, taking in a very solid Rs. 4.5 crore (approx USD 1 million) at the opening weekend box office with a three language release (English, Hindi and Tamil). That makes it Jackie Chan's #1 opening film in India, historically a big Jackie Chan territory. THE KARATE KID also opened at #1 position in several Asian markets including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines, and has still to release in major territories like Europe and China.
The film gained critical praise and positive audience feedback almost instantly post-release and word spread over the weekend. Celebrities were quick to tweet their praise, especially for the film's talented young star Jaden Smith. Neil Nitin Mukesh called it a "Must watch", Maria Goretti dubbed it "Awesome." and superstar Salman Khan depended on reliable feedback from his brother and nephew to tweet: " Sohail [Khan] saw Karate Kid with his kid Nirvaan and they both have loved it."
"The film has universal appeal and has been greatly appreciated by action fans and family audiences. We continue to expect strong numbers in the coming week thanks to the extremely positive word of mouth and the fact that many shows were housefull during the weekend," said Sony Pictures' MD Kercy Daruwala.
"Due to the ongoing summer vacation in most parts of India, the central character being a kid and the starring role by Jackie Chan, we judged that kids would be the core audience and would eventually bring their parents to the theatres. We targetted them aggressively through kids channels, on ground promotions such as "Kick as high as the Karate Kid", Karate Kid branded stationery and partnering with martial arts tournaments," said Director - Marketing Bhavesh Thakkar. "We also targetted Tamil Nadu very strongly since it has a huge and loyal Jackie Chan fan base. We believe this helped The Karate Kid to stand apart on its own and become a must-watch film for families."
THE KARATE KID was generously supported by Star Movies, Vijay TV, Chutti TV, UTV Action, PVR Cinemas, Nissan, Bright, The Hindu Metro Plus, Radio One Chennai, Bookmyshow.com, Galatta.com, Gold's Gym and on ground partner Cinema Express.
Sony Pictures now gears up for THE KARATE KID's Telugu release on 2nd July, as well as the studio's next mega release SALT starring Angelina Jolie on 23rd July.
ABOUT THE KARATE KID
In a remake of the classic franchise, 12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's (Taraji P. Henson) latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, and kung fu prodigy, Cheng. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life. The film is directed by Harald Zwart (Agent Cody Banks, Pink Panther 2).
ABOUT SPE FILMS (www.sonypictures.in)
Sony Pictures India is the no. 1 Hollywood studio in India with 5 out of the top 10 Hollywood films of all time including blockbusters like 2012, Spider-Man 3, Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale and Spider-Man 2.
SPE Worldwide includes global operations; encompass motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home video acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities, development of new entertainment technologies and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries worldwide.