KPop Demon Hunters, Sony Picture’s animated musical fantasy about the fictional girl group HUNTR/X, is now officially the most-watched film in Netflix history.
It’s tallied 236 million views across its first ten weeks – surpassing Christmas action flick Red Notice– and currently sits at number one on the platform’s all-time streaming charts.
It’s also the first film in decades to have four songs in the Top 10 music charts. The last time that happened, the soundtrack responsible was from Saturday Night Fever in 1978 – but even that film only managed to get three songs in the top 10.
KPop Demon Hunters: quick links
KPop Demon Hunters is a streaming and box-office smash
KPop Demon Hunters follows Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey, a trio of singers who balance sell-out stadium shows with protecting the world from supernatural threats commonly known as demons. When the girls meet a rival band called Saja Boys with only days to go before they seal the Honmoon for another year, suspicions arise over their origins.
As reported in The Verge, the film quickly outpaced all other Netflix films after launching on the platform, despite beginning its life under Sony’s direct-to-streaming deal, which implied little confidence in the film’s potential.
Watch the lyric video for How It’s Done, from Kpop Demon Hunters:
In a rare move, Netflix staged a sing-along theatrical release in late August. That weekend’s box-office haul is estimated between $18 million and $20 million in the US and Canada, marking Netflix’s first-ever box-office leader.
KPop Demon Hunters sequel in the works
Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans have confirmed interest in continuing the story. Kang noted that the film raised many narrative questions – particularly around the origins of characters Mira and Zoey– and she sees room for deeper exploration in future instalments (as reported in EW).
Sources quoted in Variety also suggested possible projects beyond sequels, including a stage musical, live-action adaptation, spin-offs, and even a TV series.
As reported in The Hollywood Reporter, development on the sequel is well under way, with negotiations happening around financial rights, production costs (the original film cost approximately $100 million), and participation of principal cast and creative talent. As of now, no official release date is set.
KPop Demon Hunters goes for an Oscar?
Netflix has confirmed the launch of a full-scale Oscars campaign for KPop Demon Hunters. The film has already been sent to Academy voters via online screeners and has had a qualifying theatrical release to satisfy eligibility rules.
The film currently holds a 97 per cent Rotten Tomatoes score and strong audience ratings, which makes it a strong frontrunner for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for Golden. Though it’s worth noting that it will face tough competition in the former category against the popular Chinese animation Ne Zha 2.
KPop Demon Hunters is produced by Sony Pictures Animation (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Mitchells vs. The Machines), directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, and features a script by Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Kang, and Appelhans. In addition to Cho, Hong, and Yoo, the voice ensemble includes Ahn Hyo-seop, Yunjin Kim, Joel Kim Booster, Liza Koshy, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Byung Hun Lee.
The soundtrack features original songs performed by EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI, Andrew Choi, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo, samUIL Lee, Neckwav, and Lea Salonga; with TEDDY, 24, IDO, DOMINSUK, Jenna Andrews, Stephen Kirk, Lindgren, and Ian Eisendrath among the soundtrack’s producers.
KPop Demon Hunters is currently streaming on Netflix, in both regular and sing-along formats. The sing-along cinema events took place at Hoyts Australia from 22-24 August 2025.
Watch our video about the film to see what all the fuss is about.
