KPop Demon Hunters isn’t just Netflix’s biggest animated movie ever. It’s now the streamer’s first-ever box office champion hit. And because Netflix doesn’t know how to leave a good thing alone, the company has quickly dropped a new sing-along version of KPop Demon Hunters on its platform for fans to belt out at home.
The film originally hit Netflix on June 20, where it exploded into a cultural juggernaut. At one point, it was second only to Red Notice on Netflix’s all-time list of English-language movies. Then, in late August, Netflix decided to test the theatrical waters with a two-day event, releasing a sing-along cut on August 23 and 24. The gamble paid off, it seems. KPop Demon Hunters sold out over 1,300 screenings across North America, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, bringing in around $18–20 million and kicking Zach Cregger’s horror hit Weapons off the top of the box office.
Netflix, the company that has spent years brushing off the traditional moviegoing model, suddenly found itself with the number-one movie in America. And it managed this with only 1,700 theaters on board. That’s without AMC, fewer than half the screens of its competitors, and almost no marketing. Still, it topped Weapons ($15.6 million) and Disney’s Freakier Friday ($9.2 million). Not bad for a film that already conquered streaming just two months earlier.
Of course, Netflix being Netflix, the victory lap was short. Theater owners were begging for another weekend, as August is a wasteland for major releases, but the streamer refused. Instead, they pulled the plug on screenings and shifted the sing-along version onto Netflix worldwide. See, while box office bragging rights are fun, subscriber retention is the real (and only) prize Netflix actually wants.
The animated adventure, directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, follows Huntr/x, a fictional K-pop girl group made up of Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo). When they’re not selling out arenas or topping the Billboard Hot 100, they moonlight as demon hunters, protecting fans from supernatural threats. Their toughest challenge arrives when an all-demon boy band gives them hell.
Critics loved it. With a near-perfect 97% on Rotten Tomatoes from 69 reviews, The Hollywood Reporter called it “a fast and funny genre mash-up that puts most theatrical animated releases to shame,” while Variety pointed out that audiences might not even realize they’re watching a musical until they catch themselves singing along.
The film’s soundtrack is also a phenomenon. Ejae, the 33-year-old K-pop songwriter and the singing voice of Rumi, co-wrote several hits for the movie, including “Golden” and “Your Idol,” which are currently sitting at No. 2 and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. “I’m speechless. This has all been insane. I’ve been crying a lot,” Ejae told fans at an advanced sing-along screening in Los Angeles.
At this point, KPop Demon Hunters has broken so many records that Netflix seems embarrassed by its own success. The streamer didn’t even release official box office numbers, leaving it up to rival studios and exhibitors to provide estimates. Still, whether on streaming charts, Billboard rankings, or box office reports, people can’t get enough of singing, dancing, demon-slaying idols.
Now that the sing-along version of KPop Demon Hunters is officially available to stream worldwide, the only question is whether your neighbors will forgive you for blasting “Golden” at full volume on repeat.
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