'KPop Demon Hunters' Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Film Ever

According to official statistics released by Netflix, the animated film 'KPop Demon Hunters' became the platform’s most-watched film on the 27th (local time). Since its release in June, it has accumulated over 236 million views, surpassing the action-comedy 'Red Notice'—which held the top spot for more than three years with 230.9 million views—to take the lead in film rankings. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, 'KPop Demon Hunters' depicts an imaginary K-pop trio girl group named HUNTR/X using their music and fighting skills to protect the human world from evil spirits. The film held a relatively low-key showcase at the Netflix Tudum theater in Los Angeles, USA, in June, but gained massive popularity due to viral videos and memes spread across social media throughout the summer. Its striking animation style and seamless integration of traditional and modern Korean culture have been highly praised. However, its greatest appeal lies in its addictive K-pop tracks. Some of the included songs were created by veteran K-pop producers and composers who have previously collaborated with groups such as BTS and TWICE. Director Maggie Kang, a Korean-Canadian, stated in a past interview that she hoped the music in the film would not only be amazing but also reach K-pop fans and fit seamlessly into the K-pop genre. Driven by the popularity of these tracks, Netflix released a "singalong" version over the weekend in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, allowing viewers to sing along to the songs while watching the film. This singalong version secured the film the top spot on the U.S. box office for the first time in Netflix’s history, after which it was made available on Netflix platforms worldwide. It ranked third among all Netflix content, behind 'Squid Game 1' (265.2 million views) and 'Wednesday 1' (252.1 million views). Netflix calculates statistics based on cumulative views over 91 days since release, and since 'KPop Demon Hunters' premiered on June 20, it still has about three weeks of additional viewing time, meaning it could surpass those two titles in the future. Even in its tenth week since release, the film continues to maintain strong popularity, regaining the weekly top spot and dominating charts in 32 countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Norway. Discussions regarding a sequel have already begun.