KPop Demon Hunters makes history on Netflix

Proving that – despite all the focus groups, engagement metrics, service usage stats and the rich history of cinema itself – nobody can accurately predict whether a new film will be a commercial hit or not, KPop Demon Hunters is now the most popular movie of all time on Netflix. Yes, you read that correctly: of all time, across all categories, in the entirety of the service’s lifespan, surpassing 236 million views in total (and counting).

It may not sound like much to outshine such mediocre films as Red Notice or The Adam Project from an artistic point of view, but it’s still a monumental achievement for an animated musical. While not a masterpiece in terms of modern 3D aesthetics, plot or direction by any means, KPop Demon Hunters is the kind of a family-friendly, well-put-together movie that provides plenty of on-screen enjoyment without taking itself too seriously. It’s just guaranteed fun, which is not as common as one would expect these days.

The film’s huge success is definitely something that Sony Pictures, who produced it as part of a broader agreement with Netflix as a direct-to-streaming release, did not expect – which is why the movie only saw a limited theatrical release in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand just last week, two whole months after it made its debut on the most popular streaming service out there.

The reasons why Sony Pictures made such a wrong call early on – not believing in that film, that is – are not entirely clear. The pandemic and the 2020-2021 box office situation possibly had something to do with that. It’s safe to say, though, that the company is now fully aware of its mistake, as it’s already in talks with Netflix for a sequel (most probably on rather different terms). Or even sequels?

There’s little doubt that KPop Demon Hunters owes much of its success to its catchy soundtrack, which managed to get not one or two, but four of its songs into the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 charts simultaneously – another first for an animated musical of any kind. The most popular of those songs right now, “Golden”, is a chart sensation in many countries around the globe and one of the most popular music videos on YouTube this year (its official version alone has amassed more than 240 million views so far).

While maybe not Oscar material – although that’s not out of the question given its current popularity – KPop Demon Hunters marks a much-needed win for Netflix, a service not exactly known for its deep or high-quality library when it comes to animated films specifically. The company means to capitalize on that win, having just released a sing-along version of the film (kids will love this) and planning to integrate KPop Demon Hunters “experiences” in its upcoming Netflix House physical locations in Dallas and Philadelphia.

Sony Pictures, meanwhile, would be crazy not to release this movie on DVD and Blu-ray, even if that depends on the agreement it signed with Netflix for these animated films in 2021. It is very much the kind of movie one would include in a home collection or buy as a gift for children and teenagers alike (assuming they have access to physical disc media players!), so it would make a killing for Sony come holiday season.

If history is any indication – Sony did release Mitchells vs. the Machines, for instance, on Blu-ray a few months after its Netflix debut – then we’ll probably be getting a disc version of this movie at some point. But the two companies would obviously want to take advantage of the market momentum KPop Demon Hunters has gained over the last couple of months, for a number of different reasons.

For people looking forward to enjoying this film at the highest audiovisual quality possible, The Point Online understands that the Netflix version of the movie is a 1080p/Dolby Digital 5.1 stream – so a 4K HDR/Dolby Atmos version on UltraHD Blu-ray is not exactly a given (Mitchells vs. the Machines never got one for instance). But one can hope, right? Where there is a will – and money to be made – there is a way!