In what can be viewed as a sizable victory lap for Netflix, the king of the streaming game now has the number one movie at the box office for the first time ever. That's thanks to the theatrical release of the company's smash animated hit "KPop Demon Hunters," which has been dominating the streamer's charts for weeks now
. It turns out, despite being available to watch at home, audiences were very happy to turn up for the two-night-only event.The "KPop Demon Hunters" sing-along release delivered
a surprise appearance atop the charts at the domestic box office, taking in an estimated $18 million. Mind you, that's from just two days worth of screenings, as opposed to the full weekend. The movie was also playing on just 1,700 screens. Compare that to the number two movie this weekend, "Weapons" ($15.6 million domestically), or "Freakier Friday," which brought in $9.2 million to land in the number three spot. However, in both of those cases, the films were playing in over 3,600 theaters.
So, what went right here? Why were fans more than happy to pay to see a movie they've likely already watched at home? And how did this become Netflix's first number one movie despite the streamer having released arguably splashier titles in theaters in the past? We're going to look at some of the biggest reasons why "KPop Demon Hunters" became the surprise box office hit of August 2025. Let's get into it.
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KPop Demon Hunters Is A Full-Blown Phenomenon
Though it's not necessarily on everyone's radar in the same way that movies like "Top Gun: Maverick" or "Avatar: The Way of Water" were (i.e. to the point where the film feels culturally ubiquitous), it cannot be overstated just how much of a phenomenon "KPop Demon Hunters" has become. It has spent nine weeks ruling Netflix's charts and will soon become the company's most-watched movie ever, overtaking "Red Notice." It is also very likely going to be the meaningful franchise-starter that Netflix has tried so hard to find, failing up to this point.
Even heavily-streamed Netflix movies can sometimes feel like they hardly exist in the larger cultural conversation. This film, on the other hand, is an outright zeitgeist hit. Its soundtrack is dominating the Spotify and Billboard charts, the social media chatter is there, and it's a meaningful, breakthrough success that audiences are hungry to engage with. The same couldn't be said for, say, "The Gray Man" when it debuted on Netflix.
Sony probably lost out on a fortune by letting "KPop Demon Hunters" go to Netflix, as evidenced by the movie's performance at the box office over the weekend. What we're seeing is a cultural phenomenon in the real world with hard numbers. Getting people off the couch can be extremely difficult these days. This film's success in theaters months after its initial release speaks volumes about the fandom around it.
Scarcity Helped Make KPop Demon Hunters A Must-See Event
One thing that really seemed to work here was the way in which Netflix managed to make this a must-see event. "KPop Demon Hunters" wasn't only presented in a sing-along format, which encouraged audience participation, but it was two nights only in a relatively limited number of theaters. Again, 1,700 screens is nothing to sneeze at, but it's far less than the 3,000 or more we see with a studio-produced, wide release. This created a scarcity element to the proceedings, which made it feel more special.
While Netflix didn't go wild with an expensive marketing campaign for the theatrical release, it was made clear that this was a "go now or you'll miss it" event. Keep in mind, Netflix declined to keep "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" in theaters longer, even though theaters wanted it to -- and that movie only made a little over $9 million on its opening weekend. Undoubtedly, theater owners would be more than welcoming to another round of "Demon Hunters" screenings. But Netflix has made it crystal clear that it doesn't care about the box office, so there's reason to believe this may well be a true blue one-time opportunity (one that fans took full advantage of).
A Strong Lack Of Competition Helped KPop Demon Hunters
This is a fairly obvious point, but it's one that bears repeating all the same. Studios didn't bring their A game to August when it comes to the release calendar, which left the door wide open for "KPop Demon Hunters" to pull off this surprise win. This past weekend's competition was, with all due respect to the movies in question, hardly impressive.
Ethan Coen's "Honey Don't" made $3 million and debuted at number nine, the best of the new arrivals. It was never going to be a breakout hit either, much as it pains me to say that. Then we had A24's English dub of "Ne Zha 2," the biggest animated movie of all time with $2.1 billion at the box office to its name. Despite that, the English-language re-release earned merely $1.5 million on over 2,200 screens, including IMAX. Then there's Ron Howard's "Eden," which totally flopped with just $1 million.
All of this is to say, it was a very weak weekend that was preceded by an equally weak weekend (one that saw the release of films with muted buzz like "Nobody 2" and "Witchboard"). Worse still, this upcoming weekend is also lacking heavy hitters, with "Caught Stealing," "The Roses," and the "Toxic Avenger" remake on deck, none of which seem ripe for breakout potential. Netflix picked the right movie at the right time, which helped give theaters something to be thankful for during this down period.
Netflix Offered A Unique Experience
It's no secret that the box office has been on uncertain ground over the last five years thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, Hollywood's dramatic shift to streaming, the bubble that streaming experienced, and changing audience habits, among other things. It's increasingly difficult to predict what will or won't become a hit, with even superhero movies struggling in theaters these days.
Movies for the sake of movies just aren't enough for the average person. That's why theaters are offering everything from bowling to ax throwing as well. One thing we do know is that the "eventized" nature of filmgoing has been taking off. Think of movies that feel like cultural events, such as the Barbenheimer phenomenon or Ryan Coogler's "Sinners." If a film can set itself apart and feel like an event in some way, that often helps increase the odds of its success. That brings us to "KPop Demon Hunters," which Netflix crafted a unique experience around.
The limited release, coupled with the sing-along nature of the screenings, helped make this worth it for fans. The fact that they were already familiar with songs like "Golden" made it all the more worth going to theaters to see, rather than just watching it at home again. That sing-along element promised these screenings would have a different energy far removed from the typical quiet, dark room, big screen experience. It was a smart move that worked exceedingly well. Still one can't help but wonder how much money Netflix might've left on the table by not offering up a larger theatrical rollout, but that's a conversation for another time.
Audiences Wanted To Engage With The KPop Demon Hunters Fandom
As mentioned, Netflix has been trying for years to make a franchise of its own, specifically one that started in the world of streaming. The company is the unquestioned king of streaming, but the fact that it hasn't been able to create a big, blockbuster property in-house is one of the only major knocks against it in the success department. It thought it had found its own "Star Wars" with Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon" films, but both of those movies flamed out, and countless amounts of unsold merch wound up rotting on Walmart shelves. Similarly, we still don't have those "Red Notice" sequels we were promised.
The point is, for all of Netflix's efforts, blockbuster franchise-level success that translates to real-world fandom has remained elusive. With "KPop Demon Hunters," however, the company hsa finally achieved it. The success of the movie's theatrical release suggests there is a very real fandom that audiences wanted to engage with. Watching the film at home has been very enjoyable for these fans, but streaming can also be a bit isolating. There's still something to be said for a theatrical experience, which can allow a movie to feel that much more tangible. That's the secret sauce here.
Dollars to donuts, we are going to get a "KPop Demon Hunters" sequel sooner rather than later. We're probably also going to get spin-offs and who knows what else. Will that include any sort of theatrical release for future installments? That remains to be seen, but we now know there's a rabid fanbase out there that's ready to engage with whatever comes next.
"KPop Demon Hunters" is streaming now on Netflix.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
