“KPop Demon Hunters” Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Film Ever with 236 Million Views

Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” has now become the most-watched film in Netflix’s history. According to Netflix’s official statistics site Tubemometer as of August 28, the film’s cumulative view count reached 236 million. The previous record holder was the action thriller “Red Notice,” starring Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds, which was released in November 2021 and had 230.9 million views. “KPop Demon Hunters” surpassed this figure to take sole first place in the film category. When comparing all content including shows, it ranked third in total views behind “Squid Game” Season 1 (265.2 million views) and “Wednesday” Season 1 (252.1 million views). Netflix ranks content based on cumulative views over 91 days after release. “KPop Demon Hunters,” released on June 20, still has about three weeks of viewing data to accumulate, so it may surpass “Squid Game” and “Wednesday” in the future. The film became the most-watched animated movie in the streaming market six weeks after its release and rose to first place in the overall film category in less than two months. The driving force behind its success lies in its unique viewing pattern. While typical Netflix films see a sharp drop in views after high initial viewership in the first week, “KPop Demon Hunters” maintained steady viewership for 10 weeks after release. This level of performance is comparable to that of theatrical animated films such as “Moana,” “Minions,” and “Super Mario Bros.” The composition of its audience is particularly noteworthy. According to data analysis company Luminate, 31% of viewers are under 18, and 50% are under 34, indicating strong support from younger demographics. Viral marketing through music also proved successful. Fans learned the film’s dances and shared clips, leading to natural spread across social media. It regained first place in weekly rankings even in the 10th week after release and retained its position as the top weekly film in both English and non-English categories last week (August 18–24). It topped the charts in 32 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Norway. Notably, special sing-along screenings were held in U.S. theaters from August 23–24, where audiences sang along together, helping the film rank first at the North American box office over that weekend. These theater sing-along shows generated approximately $18 million to $20 million in revenue. Despite not being shown in AMC theaters, it achieved results comparable to those of the second-highest-grossing film of the weekend, “Weapons,” by having roughly half as many screens. Netflix also released a separate sing-along version for viewing at home. “KPop Demon Hunters” is a musical animated film centered around the popular girl group HUNTR/X, who protect the human world from demons. It was produced by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Netflix. The film incorporates K-pop’s musical elements and Korean cultural elements such as Musok beliefs, being created inspired by melodies of existing K-pop songs.