September 5, 2025/Midnight

Erie, PA. – For the first time in its 18-year history, Netflix has won the box office thanks to the animated movie K-pop Demon Hunters.

Produced by Sony Pictures and released by Netflix, K-pop Demon Hunters has stormed the streaming movie market with remarkable success this summer. The musical animated film draws inspiration from the world of K-pop and Korean mythology – the homeland of its director, Maggie Kang.

K-pop Demon Hunters tells the story of Huntr/x, a popular girl group admired by a vast fan base. While they shine on stage as K-pop idols, behind the scenes they lead a double life as demon hunters, pursuing and defeating creatures that steal human souls.

Tensions rise when the boy band Saja Boys emerges as rivals to the Huntr/x. The girls soon notice somthing unusual and uncover the truth: Saja Boys are demons, driven by a dark ambition to harvest as many souls as possible. Huntr/x’s missions are to protect their fans, defeat their enemies, and create a barrier that shields humanity from demonic forces.

Since debuting on Netflix in June, K-pop Demon Hunters has attracted a massive audience, especially younger viewers when K-pop culture continues its global rise. The movie has claimed the most-watched title on Netflix with 236 million views, surpassing the previous record set by Red Notice in 2021. K-pop Demon Hunters also wins the title of the platform’s most-watched original animated movie.

Beyond its engaging storyline and striking animation, K-pop Demon Hunters also scores big with its music. For the first time ever on the Billboard Hot 100, a film soundtrack has four songs simultaneously in the top 10. With the song Golden hit No.1 spot, Huntr/x officially beats the powerhouse girl group Blackpink to become the highest-charting female K-pop group. Before that, Blackpink’s big hits Ice Cream and Venom had only reached No.13 and No.22.

Besides its streaming release, K-pop Demon Hunters was screened in more than 1,700 theaters with a special sing-along version on August 23 and 24. With estimated earning of around $20 million, the film topped the weekly chart.

With multiple No.1 hits and a string of record-breaking achievements, K-pop Demon Hunters delivers a sizzling summer for Netflix. According to CNN, Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of analytics firm Box Office Theory said that “This type of success is good for everybody.” As Robbins mentioned, Netflix has a “fragmented relationship” with theater owners, the reason why they rarely open theatrically. “This weekend should be taken as a positive step toward how they can work together in the future.”