BY JEREMY KAY

Sony Pictures has pushed Karate Kid from December to May 2025 and pushed back Kraven The Hunter to fill the holiday season slot.

Karate Kid had been scheduled to open on December 13 of this year and according to sources is being held back in order to follow the sixth and final season of Cobrai Kai, which was delayed due to the strikes.

Ben Wang in the title role as Karate Kid, alongside Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Ming-Na Wen, Aramis Knight, Wyatt Oleff and Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, who will reprise their characters from te original franchise. Jonathan Entwistle directs from Rob Lieber’s screenplay.

Kraven The Hunter, an origins story starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Spider-Man’s eventual nemesis, has been pushed from August 30 to the December 13 slot as studio executives look to benefit from being the only R-rated release of the holidays.

J.C. Chandor directs from a screenplay by Richard Wenk and Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. The cast includes Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, and Russell Crowe.

The studio has added two films to the calendar. Chris Weitz’s Blumhouse horror They Listen will now occupy the August 30 slot and stars John Cho, Katherine Waterston, Havana Rose Liu, Lukita Maxwell, with David Dastmalchian and Keith Carradine.

R-rated road trip adventure Animal Friends from Legendary Entertainment opens on August 15, 2025. The live-action and animation hybrid stars Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa, Aubrey Plaza, Daniel Levy, Lil Rel Howery, Addison Rae, and Ellie Bamber. Peter Atencio will direct.