‘KPop Demon Hunters 2’ Is Headed to the Big Screen, and Netflix Is Going Big
‘KPop Demon Hunters‘ rewrote a few rules for Netflix. The animated musical, produced by Sony Pictures Animation, follows the K-pop trio Huntr/x as they battle the demonic boy band Saja Boys. It racked up 325.1 million views in its first 90 days and spent 63 consecutive weeks in the Global Top 10.
Its biggest surprise came in theaters. A sing-along version hit cinemas on Aug. 23 and 24, and earned an estimated $19 million over just 2 days at No. 1, with every major circuit playing it except AMC. It was the widest release by number of theaters for a Netflix film, and the first to top the box office in the United States.
That sing-along success is now shaping what comes next. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos revealed at Bloomberg’s Screentime in Los Angeles on Wednesday that the ‘KPop Demon Hunters 2’ theatrical release will be very broad, with the plan described as big, broad and global.
Sarandos grouped the sequel with other large family titles like ‘Narnia’ and ‘Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory’, which are also getting wide theatrical treatment. Netflix plans 50, 47 and 46-day theatrical windows for ‘Narnia’, ‘Charlie’ and ‘La Bola Negra’, respectively.
The reasoning is partly about audience behavior. Sarandos said movies that succeed at the box office are not necessarily bigger on Netflix, and he noted that kids and family movies get a lot of rewatching. He contrasted art-house films with what he called four-quad family rewatch titles, a category ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ fits squarely.
Plenty remains unclear about the sequel. Netflix has not announced a release date, though Deadline described the movie as expected in 2029. Complex noted that an earlier reported 2029 window is considered unlikely given how long a large animated film takes to produce, and Netflix has not announced a post-theatrical streaming date either.
What is official is the creative team. Netflix confirmed on March 12 that a sequel is moving forward, with directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans returning as part of an exclusive multiyear writing and directing pact focused on animation. The sequel will be the first project made under that deal, and Sony Pictures Animation is again a partner.
Fans should also expect more transparency about the numbers. Netflix will report box-office results for these theatrical releases for the first time. That marks a change for a company that famously did not release such figures for the original’s sing-along run, leaving the $18 million to $20 million figures as estimates.
First trailer for ‘K-POP: DEMON HUNTERS’, a new film from Sony Pictures Animation.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) May 22, 2025
Releasing June 20 on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/aXU3sZQXbH
The decision fits a broader change in how Netflix handles movies. Sarandos said the company put more than 30 films in theaters last year, some of which stayed on the big screen after streaming, including ‘Frankenstein’, which played for 6 months. ‘The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth’ is also set to become the first Netflix movie to get an IMAX release in November.
That said, ScreenRant cautioned that the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ announcement is not necessarily a sign that Netflix is fully pivoting to theatrical releases. Sarandos himself described the model as a way to serve movie lovers who want to see a film in a theater without harming its value on the platform. In other words, wide releases will be reserved for titles with a passionate audience, and few titles have one as passionate as this.
The original’s fandom has already shown it will fill seats, sing at the top of its lungs and come back for a second round. A second sing-along run took place from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 last year, which suggests the audience is ready for a proper theatrical sequel. Whether Netflix can turn that energy into a true box-office event is the next big question.
Where would you rather watch KPop Demon Hunters 2?
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments.
