Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos Promises ‘KPop Demon Hunters 2’ Will Get a “Very Broad” Theatrical Release

When Netflix put a sing-along version of ‘KPop Demon Hunters‘ in theaters in August 2025, nobody expected much more than a fan event. Instead, it topped the weekend box office with an estimated $19 million over 2 days. It was the first time a Netflix title had ever claimed the No. 1 spot at the US box office.

That result was a rarity for a company built around streaming. Netflix famously doesn’t report box-office numbers, and AMC sat out the sing-along run after boycotting Netflix in the past over its reluctance to commit to a 45-day theatrical window. Still, the film’s fans showed up in force, and the numbers made it hard for Netflix to ignore the big screen.

Now the company is leaning into that lesson. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos told the audience at Bloomberg Screentime in Los Angeles that fans can expect “a very broad theatrical release” when the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ sequel arrives, as TheWrap reported.

The comments came as Sarandos explained Netflix’s embrace of longer theatrical windows. Before the sequel arrives, ‘La Bola Negra’ will get Netflix’s first full 45-day window, Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ and the animated ‘Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory’ are getting wide releases, and ‘The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth’ will be the first Netflix movie released in IMAX in November.

Sarandos’s reasoning was practical. He said Netflix is trying to serve movie lovers who want to see a film in a theater without harming its value on the platform. The most passionate audience, he argued, goes to theaters first, so by the time a film reaches Netflix, the people left are casual viewers who meant to get around to it someday.

For ‘KPop Demon Hunters’, that logic has a special edge. Sarandos noted that kids and family movies get a lot of rewatching, which helps explain why the first film stayed on Netflix’s Global Top 10 for 63 consecutive weeks and racked up 325.1 million views in its first 90 days. A movie with that kind of repeat appeal is a natural fit for a big theatrical push.

The timeline remains murky. Netflix confirmed on March 12 that a sequel is moving forward with directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans returning under a multiyear animation deal. Deadline described the film as expected in 2029, but Netflix has not announced a release date, and Complex called that earlier 2029 report unlikely given how long large animated films take to make.

One real change is on the horizon. Variety reported that Netflix will officially report box-office returns for 6 upcoming films, including ‘La Bola Negra’ on Oct. 16 and ‘The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth’ on Nov. 25. ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ will be Netflix’s first wide release, playing in over 1,000 theaters.

That transparency would be new territory for a company that kept quiet about the numbers even when films like ‘Frankenstein’ played theaters. If ‘KPop Demon Hunters 2’ follows the same path, fans might finally see real figures for a Netflix animated release. The sing-along results, after all, were only estimates.

The franchise is also expanding beyond screens. TheWrap highlighted that a ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ immersive experience is coming to Netflix House locations later this year. Between theaters, immersive attractions and a sequel in development, Netflix is building a much larger footprint around the property than a typical streaming original gets.

First teaser for ‘K-POP DEMON HUNTERS’, a new film from Sony Pictures Animation.

Trailer releases tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/nkOBuF0EXh

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) May 21, 2025

Sarandos was careful to frame this as strategy rather than a full pivot. Wide releases are reserved for titles with a passionate audience, while smaller art-house films like ‘La Bola Negra’ follow a different path. In other words, the theatrical push will be selective.

Still, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ has already proved it can fill seats, sell out screenings and top a weekend box office. With a “very broad” release now promised, the sequel will test whether that fan energy can scale from a 2-day event to a full theatrical run.

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