Netflix Scores First-Ever #1 at the Box Office

Netflix has just made history. For the first time ever, the streaming giant is about to claim the number one spot at the box office. The movie behind this big moment is Sony Pictures Animation’s KPop Demon Hunters, an animated action musical that has already been a major hit on Netflix.

TheWrap reports that the movie is expected to earn between $18 and $20 million in just two days from about 1,700 theaters.

That would put it ahead of Warner Bros. and New Line’s Weapons, which is projected to make $15.6 million in its third weekend.

This comes as KPop Demon Hunters nears another huge milestone for Netflix. The film has already reached 210 million views and is on track to pass Red Notice as the platform’s most-watched movie of all time. Netflix, as usual, is not releasing official box office numbers, just like it did with Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion.

The story of how this movie ended up on Netflix is also getting attention. Sony decided to sell the film to Netflix, making about $20 million in profit.

That move has sparked questions in Hollywood about how much money was left on the table by skipping a traditional theatrical release. TheWrap explained last week that without a strong marketing push, KPop Demon Hunters might have struggled in theaters like other original animated films in recent years.

But the surprising part is that the film has already been available to stream for two months. Even so, it is still about to pull in two-day numbers that rival opening weekends for The Bad Guys 2 at $22 million and Pixar’s Elio at $20.8 million.

This is happening in a summer where no animated film has crossed $100 million in North America, something that hasn’t happened since 1997 outside of the pandemic years. Some believe that if KPop Demon Hunters had opened only in theaters, it might have been the one to reach that mark.

Other films are also making headlines this weekend. Weapons crossed $100 million domestic after three weekends and now sits at $116 million, becoming the sixth straight Warner Bros. release to reach that milestone.

Disney’s Freakier Friday earned $9.2 million in its third weekend, bringing its total to $70 million. Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps brought in $5.8 million and has now passed $250 million domestic and nearly $500 million worldwide. Rounding out the top five, The Bad Guys 2 added $5 million for a total of $66 million.

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