Oh definitely. The movies that came out in the 60's and 70's helped to increase the popularity of it around the world.
I love karate. I took it earlier when I was younger. Very interesting. I know that karate came to japan only in the beginning of the 20th century. Did you know that? Interesting. I had always thought it originated in China. It actually became popular in okinawa after the second world war among the men that were serving there It goes back quite a long way. It is good for the mental well being also.
The martial arts movies of the 1960s and 1970s served to greatly increase the popularity of martial arts around the world, and in English the word ''karate'' began to be used in a generic way to refer to all striking-based Oriental martial arts.