Kpop Demon Hunters
Netflix
I am running out of ways to describe the unprecedented success of Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, but every time I wake up, it seems like the movie has set some new record. Today? There’s two of them, and another one may happen this week. So, what now?
KPop Demon Hunters has once again become the #1 movie on Netflix, surpassing the very big hit Happy Gilmore 2 a week or so after its release. KPop Demon Hunters continues to beat its own records as now we are nearly at 60 days where the film has once again gotten to #1 after its initial release on June 20. We have never seen a movie do anything close to this on Netflix.
Additionally, new viewership numbers are in, and after those 60 days, KPop Demon Hunters has become the fourth most-watched Netflix original movie ever, rocketing onto the list as the first animated feature to make the cut. Here’s the list as it stands:
- Red Notice (The Rock, Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds) – 230 million views
- Carry-On (Taron Egerton, Jason Bateman) – 172 million views
- Don’t Look Up (Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence) – 171 million views
- KPop Demon Hunters – 158 million views
- The Adam Project (Ryan Reynolds, Zoe Saldana, Mark Ruffalo) – 157.6 million views
- Bird Box (Sandra Bullock) – 157.4 million views
- Back in Action (Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx) – 147 million views
- Leave the World Behind (Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke) – 143 million views
- The Gray Man (Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans) – 139 million views
- Damsel (Millie Bobby Brown) – 138 million views
Why did I put the actors in quotes for all the other movies? Because it’s not just the fact that this is the first animated movie on the list, it’s that almost every single other movie there stars big A-listers that Netflix viewers are more prone to check out. The single exception may be Carry-On, as I’m not sure Egerton and Bateman are as high profile, but they’re certainly still recognizable).
KPop Demon Hunters has a clearly great voice (and singing) cast, led by the talented Arden Cho, there’s simply no one here on the level of those other stars, even in an age when animated films constantly cast big names to try and draw in viewers. Deeply impressive.
The third record that KPop Demon Hunters may be about to set is that its fictional girl group, HUNTR/X, may be about to top the Billboard 100 chart this next week. Not only the first for a Netflix series, obviously, but it would be the first for any Kpop group, including those like BTS or Blackpink. The KPop group whose singing appears in the movie, TWICE, has seen their profile skyrocket as a result.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – AUGUST 30: Jeongyeon, Nayeon, Chaeyoung, Dahyun, Jihyo and Tzuyu of TWICE attend Park Jin-Young’s 30th anniversary “Dandara JYP” photocall event at KBS Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu on August 30, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images)
ImaZins via Getty Images
So, we’re keeping an eye out for more records. Rarely a week goes by without one. I’m guessing we’ll see sequel announcements shortly.
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