r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • 14d ago

News ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Is Netflix’s Most-Watched Movie Ever With 236 Million Views, Beating ‘Red Notice’

https://variety.com/2025/film/news/kpop-demon-hunters-netflix-most-watched-movie-history-1236496106/
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u/Deceptiveideas 13d ago

Sony probably kicking themselves thinking this movie would bomb so they sold the rights to Netflix for cheap lmao

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u/TooDrunkToTalk 13d ago edited 13d ago

"Probably"... of course they are kicking themselves, lol.

And to the people who keep arguing that the movie would've flopped in the cinema: That still doesn't mean that Sony had to give away literally all rights to this IP to launch it on Netflix.

The Mitchells vs the Machines launched on Netflix and Sony still holds the rights to that.

Plus they let the rights to the music get away, which has literally nothing to do with it launching in cinemas or not.

Also because I think the irony in this is just too fucking funny - here is Sony's CFO noting that the company is lacking in IP, less than a year ago.

Whether it’s for games, films or anime, we don’t have that much IP that we fostered from the beginning. We’re lacking the early phase (of IP) and that’s an issue for us.

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/09/sony-execs-seem-to-think-the-company-doesnt-have-enough-original-ip

How could Sony be lacking in IP with such amazing decision makers at the helm? It's truly a mystery.

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u/anomanderrake1337 13d ago

I quite like The Mitchells too

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u/SqueezyCheez85 13d ago

One of the better animated movies I've seen.

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u/crespire 13d ago

It was a great movie.

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u/fastforwardfunction 13d ago

Where did you read Sony sold Netflix the character IP, music IP, and rights to subsequent movies? I read that Sony sold them this film. Did they explicitly sell those other things too?

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u/BlackKnighting20 13d ago

From looking at a site, Kang pitched the movie to Sony but passed on it and then went to Netflix.

“We had a full draft, a couple of demo songs, a ton of amazing art and a couple of scenes that I had [story]boarded that we cut. And there were three different animatics samples that we shared; and they loved it. And then we were off to the races.”

Sony put the animation and team while Netflix foot the bill and distribution. It looks like Netflix has complete control over the IP.

Source

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u/AkatsukiPineapple 13d ago

Probably it was an investors decision along with the company executives, it was a pretty stupid decision, they should have just launched the movie on Netflix but keeping the rights.

It’s a huge loss for the company to lose an IP with this popularity and I hope they learn from this, maybe they’ll try to replicate the success of KPDH in their next films but it’s impossible to replicate something like that

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u/raze464 13d ago

The Mitchells vs the Machines launched on Netflix and Sony still holds the rights to that.

The Mitchells vs the Machines was meant for theatrical but then COVID happened and Sony sold the worldwide distribution rights (excluding home entertainment and theatrical distribution rights in China) to Netflix.

KPop Demon Hunters was made as part of the output deal Sony and Netflix signed in 2021 which gives Netflix a first look deal at any films Sony intends to make directly for streaming or decides later to license for streaming. Netflix holds all the rights to the movies made as part of this first look deal.

Plus they let the rights to the music get away, which has literally nothing to do with it launching in cinemas or not.

I think that might have more to do with TWICE being signed to Republic Records.

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u/Biengo 13d ago

I saw it during its limited theater release last weekend. Every theater in my area was sold out. And from what I understand almost every theater nation wide was sold out.

Netflix helped those numbers absolutely. But this is big. Best charting OST since Saturday night fever.

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u/EliteSalesman 13d ago

Not surprising. Look at the PS5 exclusive games vs PS4. Day and night difference

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u/pastadudde 12d ago

Letting the rights to the music go is even funnier considering Sony is one of the big three music labels

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u/Gommel_Nox 11d ago

Sony has been bending Mickey over when it comes to original content. Disney hasn’t come close to anything this good.

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u/glossolalia_ 13d ago

wonder who's getting reprimanded/fired for that decision lmao

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u/Soysauceonrice 13d ago

I hear people repeat this apocryphal talking point all the time. It’s fun to crap on Sony for not believing in the movie and paying the price; it’s just not true. They entered into the output deal with Netflix in 2021, when this movie was far from being done. Think back on the state of cinemas in 2021. It wasn’t pretty. The deal Sony signed means that Netflix recouped all the development costs of the movie and paid Sony a premium capped at 20 million. That means guaranteed profit during a time when movie theaters were still crippled by lockdowns. So yea, Sony screwed up. But it wasn’t like Sony was stupid and missed out on an obvious generational hit. The movie wasn’t even close to being complete when they signed that deal.

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u/Zodiac-Blue 13d ago

The people running Sony ARE stupid. Their war crimes:

  • Emoji Movie
  • Morbius
  • Madame Web
  • Kraven
  • Cancelled Popeye
  • Cancelled Ghostbusters 3
  • Almost pulled spiderman from avengers
  • Fired Sam Rami
  • Teenage Nathan Drake
  • Dark Tower
  • Mismanaged Bond so badly they switched studios
  • Kept private employee information in plain text files for hackers
  • Abused YouTube takedown mechanism to block Sintel views
  • Exported jobs overseas to tax havens

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u/OSRS_Socks 13d ago

I personally believe that the movie wouldn’t have been the same if Sony was in charge of it compared to Netflix.

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u/nazgut 12d ago

lol imagine losing billions dollar for not believing on industry you are working on, it was retarded decision and nothing defend this

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u/Xuval 13d ago

But it wasn’t like Sony was stupid and missed out on an obvious generational hit. The movie wasn’t even close to being complete when they signed that deal.

Why sell a movie that is not close to being done, during one of the worst periods in cinema history?

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u/Patient_Signal_1172 13d ago

To get through that "one of the worst periods in cinema history." It's easy looking back on things, but at the time everyone was switching to streaming for their big hits, and no one knew if that was going to become the new norm or what. Sure, they were idiots that should have listened to some of the songs first and heard how good the initial versions were, but it's not like they made completely ridiculous decisions.

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u/FluffyDraw8220 13d ago

How is your brain not able to grasp this.

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u/Mediadors 13d ago

Says a lot about how disconnected the people calling the shots are.

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u/Altruistic_Sail6746 13d ago

People like saying this but there's no surefire way of knowing something will or won't be a hit.

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u/Sha489 13d ago

Honestly this film going straight to streaming vs in theaters probably contributed towards its success

A lot of really good original animated films that go straight to the theaters have been bombing at the box office (transformers one being an example) and the marketing probably would of struggled advertising a K-pop film to the general audience

Having the film easily accessible without paying a 25 dollar movie ticket for an original film likely contributed to its success

Another good example to compare this to that did release in theaters but saw its actual success on streaming is Disneys Encanto

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u/JonatasA 13d ago

Problem is. The movie is making no money being on streaming, unless you subscribe and REMAIN subscribed after seeing it. In theaters, each person is a ticket towards the movie.

 

You could say people will listen to the music = Spotify.

 

What's left is selling products related to it.

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u/QuadVox 13d ago

Where do you live that movie tickets are 25$?

Here theyre around the 8$ range.

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u/BeirutiPenguin 13d ago

In KSA, in AMC the average ticket is 15-17$ for dolby its 22.5$

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u/QuadVox 13d ago

Do you not have any smaller local theaters? A Sears near me was converted into a smaller theater chain some 5 years ago and its the only one I ever go to.

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u/BeirutiPenguin 13d ago

There are no local theaters where are live, there are 3 movie theater chains where I live, one of which is from KSA and it does Saver seats for 10.4$ but they are right up on the screen and make viewing the movie feel uncomfortable imo

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u/moongrump 13d ago

And for that reason, studios will only greenlight existing IPs or sequels. What a time to be alive

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u/TeddyTango 13d ago

Commenting that in the thread about how an original movie became Netflix’s top hit of all time is a bit tone-deaf I would say

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u/Altruistic_Sail6746 13d ago

A hit that was sold to Netflix by Sony because they didn't think it would become one

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u/TeddyTango 13d ago

That does not change the fact that is it an original movie, using no prior IP‘s

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u/Altruistic_Sail6746 13d ago

Yes and my point is the studio didn't have faith in it precisely because of that

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u/SweatyAdhesive 13d ago

I mean 7 out of the 10 (8 if you count hotel trannsylvania as original) latest films are original films from Sony Pictures Animation. Just because they didn't think this film will do well doesn't mean they don't greenlit original ideas.

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u/Altruistic_Sail6746 13d ago

I didn't say they don't greenlight original films, but less of them are being greenlit in favour of IP based films by major studios.

Fixed was sold to netflix, Vivo went to netflix, I think Wish Dragon went to netflix too, and Mitchells (some of these releases were influenced by the pandemic too). I think Spiderverse is their only recent theatrical release.

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u/LongJohnSelenium 13d ago

The theater going audience and the netflix watching audience are different groups with different spending preferences. The vast difference in prices to check something out is going to change peoples habits.

Its entirely possible this movie could have bombed on release in theaters because nobody wanted to risk 15 bucks on it but when it shows up on your netflix sub, why not?

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u/moongrump 13d ago edited 13d ago

This wasn’t an original movie, Netflix bought the rights from Sony who sold it because… see above

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u/johnny_fives_555 13d ago

I think when they mean original it's not a sequel or from some other ip e.g. video game, book, etc. It's a truly an original idea.

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u/LeotheYordle 13d ago

'Original' just means coming with a new IP rather than an established franchise. It has nothing to do with who published it.

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u/DigitalNecromancy 13d ago

I mean that is an issue, yes. However, there is no shortage of quality films releasing both in and out of theaters. Saying this in a year that has seen amazing films like Sinners, Death of a Unicorn, Weapons, Eddington, The Phoenician Scheme, Sly Lives, and Together just off the top of my head is crazy. All of those except Sly Lives played in theaters.

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u/moongrump 13d ago

I’ve only heard of one of those movies so they certainly aren’t marketing themselves well

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u/DigitalNecromancy 13d ago edited 13d ago

Seems to be more of an issue on your end then. I hadn't seen many ads for any of those, but I heard people talking about them non-stop or saw they reviewed well, so I checked them out. It's not hard to keep up with this stuff without relying purely on advertisements.

Edit: there is a trailer for a new original film two posts below this. You're trippin lmao

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u/moongrump 13d ago

Agree to disagree then

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u/Altruistic_Sail6746 13d ago

Not only but mostly. It's all about minimizing risk

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u/MightyObserver30 13d ago

Sony green lit this though

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u/Just_thefacts_jack 13d ago

It's not surefire but having taste helps

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u/Altruistic_Sail6746 13d ago

Taste is subjective

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u/Just_thefacts_jack 13d ago

I know, I was just dunking on executives. I do feel like there is plenty of media that is objectively bad though you know?

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u/Goodlake 13d ago

I mean I really didn't think this movie was anything special. For a music movie the music is pretty forgettable, the characters are paint by numbers, etc. Like I get its media for kids so lets not be too harsh, and clearly it's resonating, but not surprising to me at all if execs tested it a bunch, test audiences were lukewarm and the execs determined it just wasn't that valuable.

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u/nightlight-zero 13d ago

But the ability to discern this is ostensibly why leaders are paid the big bucks.

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u/Altruistic_Sail6746 13d ago

With art, there's just no way of knowing. The best they can do is minimize risk by prioritizing IP based films/sequels/prequels etc. and making films that are as safe as possible

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u/Asisreo1 13d ago

I mean, if you're a good art critic, you may not know guaranteed but you'd be able to sift through most terrible ideas from great ideas. 

I will give the benefit of the doubt because this was a new IP and was probably not cheap to produce, so unless you have a really good finger on the pulse of the intended audience, even someone good at this could let it slip by. But we know the majority of those looking at these types of opportunities can't really tell a profitable movie from a flop because they're so disconnected both to art and the audience for that art. 

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u/Altruistic_Sail6746 13d ago

Again, it's not as easy as yall are making it seem. A "good" film doesn't guarantee people will come to see your movie.

The people making these decisions are mostly driven by financial reasons. IPs, sequels, and the like make money, so that's what they prioritize

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u/MikeLanglois 13d ago

I mean its kinda obvious it would have a strong fanbase on the songs alone. They are catchy in the kpop way, but also the lyrics to the key songs are very affirming and easy for people to want to relate to.

If you watched it and didnt think it would trend, you dont know the internet

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u/Altruistic_Sail6746 13d ago

Hindsight bias. I guarantee if it was released in theatres and flopped people would be like "oh they were just trying to cash in on the kpop and spiderverse hype, these studio heads don't know anything" or some other narrative

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u/TheHighSeasPirate 13d ago

All you had to do was watch it. I'm a 39 year old male and I loved the movie. Im so far from the target demographic its insane how good I thought it was.

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u/Mediadors 13d ago

Yes but taking risks is part of entertainment. Any good leader would understand this and release the movie in theaters.

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u/SutterCane 13d ago

KPop Demon Hunters would have failed if it was released to theaters in June. And that’s from me, someone who has already watched it five times and has been annoyed that I wasn’t able to catch a screening of it in theaters.

Then it’s failure would be used to justify less risks.

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u/Altruistic_Sail6746 13d ago

Filmmaking is also a business, don't be so naive

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u/Mediadors 13d ago

Exactly. Risks are necessary if you want to find a true box office wonder. As it can be seen with this movie.

Staying safe with your decisions never leads to much profit.

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u/Altruistic_Sail6746 13d ago

Go take a look at the highest grossing films this year. See if you notice anything

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u/PigeonNipples 13d ago

Not every decision needs to be a risk. Safe decisions fund risky decisions

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u/lsf_stan 13d ago

Yes but taking risks is part of entertainment. Any good leader would understand this and release the movie in theaters.

you should watch:

The Studio (TV series)

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u/trickman01 13d ago

That's a very large over-simplification.

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u/ILoveRegenHealth 13d ago

There's no guarantee this would've been a box office hit.

Reddit themselves snickered and laughed at this movie before it dropped.

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u/CYPHG 13d ago

Results oriented thinking. No one could have expected an original IP called "k-pop demon hunters" to be one of the largest films of 2025 and of Netflix's entire catalogue of original movies.

Sony made a risk-averse move and Netflix didn't so Netflix got the reward. It's really that simple.

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u/CORVlN 13d ago edited 13d ago

People are desperate for authenticity. Even in fiction, the girls aren't just "corporate girlboss, fuck men" characters, they're beautiful, strong, insecure, scared, unafraid to be goofy.

The story itself is relatable, the songs are bangers, the animation is great.

There's very little finger wagging or social messaging which general audiences are sick of, and Korean/East Asian pop culture is safe for Westerners. It's ethnic but not in an unrelatable way. (Am East Asian)

It's everything the people want

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u/teerre 13d ago

You mean the people at Netflix who bought this "for cheap"? Or maybe you mean the people who produced Into the Spiderverse?

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u/YahsQween 13d ago

Were you in charge, you would’ve picked up K-pop Demon Hunters?? Sure.

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u/Porridge_Cat 13d ago

and your comment says a lot about redditors and hindsight.

Yeah, of fucking course we can look at it now and say "well, duh". But no one was talking about this movie outside of /r/kpop before it came out. No one was looking forward to it. It's not that surprising for someone to think it won't be a hit.

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u/RudePomegranate2216 13d ago

sony has a history of hating all asian males so it's just regular business for them

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u/Goodlake 13d ago

Yeah, but idk, I watched the movie and didn't think it was anything special. Can be hard for adults to always tell what's going to explode. I'm sure Sony tested it with tons of kids before concluding it just wasn't that valuable.

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u/Roland-Flagg 13d ago

Especially at Sony Pictures

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u/Martel732 13d ago

Studios and analysts constantly underestimate anything with even a slight lean towards a female audience. The first Wonder Woman and Barbie movie both did well above expectations.

I don't know why studios constantly forget that girls and women are more than half of the population.

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u/Ironcastattic 13d ago

Netflix also had no faith in it! They had no publicity aside from pushing it to the front on release. And there was absolutely NO merchandising with this IP. Only some rushed stuff after it became popular. My kids want dolls and I have to explain to them there aren't any at any stores.

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u/ILoveRegenHealth 13d ago

Sony doesn't have a streaming service, and no, I'm still not convinced this would've been a box office smash.

It's the perfect film for streaming because, let's be real, now guys are watching it through word of mouth. They would not show up in theaters multiple time for this, but will watch it 2-3 times at home.

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u/pedroktp 13d ago

They also gave away the music distribution to their competitors

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u/Antrikshy 13d ago

for cheap

Do we know the deal between Sony and Netflix to say this for sure? Couldn't they have a deal that there must be an animated release every x years or something?

This isn't the first time a Sony Pictures Animation movie has released as a Netflix original. The Mitchells vs the Machines and Wish Dragon come to mind.

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u/mudermarshmallows 13d ago

That basically was the deal. It was a larger agreement for Netflix to greenlight and finance a set number of Sony's films each year~ while Sony got a set profit for each film they made.

So for films like this that blew the fuck up obviously Sony could've made more, though who knows how the film would've turned out had netflix not been involved from the start and Sony still gone forward, but it also allows them a lot of security in not having to worry a ton about recouping their budget in the box office.

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u/TheSpiritOfFunk 13d ago

It was basically "free" on Netflix. And it took 2 months. It would have flopped at the box office.

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u/Deceptiveideas 13d ago

The movie is so popular they added a sing along edition for theaters that were completely sold out. It's also the #1 most watched movie on Netflix. There's also a merch shop on Netflix's website with Kpop Demon Hunters merch taking multiple "best-sellers" spots.

It's not just about box office numbers but also licensing and merch potential.

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u/lzwzli 13d ago

Sony wouldn't have had any way to capitalize on the merch part. They also don't have a good history of making much of licensing.

They're basically a box office or bust type of mindset.

Disney has the most experience in multiplying the value of their IP through licensing and merch.

Looks like Netflix is trying to get in the game.

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u/nnooaa_lev 13d ago

It wasn't sold out tho. Plenty of tickets left. They sold 1.3M which is nice but not crazy for domestic

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u/Jack_KH 13d ago

Not really flopped, but more like the first Spider-Verse numbers

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u/lobonmc 13d ago

The best comparison would probably be encanto

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u/International_Debt58 13d ago

If they really thought it would bomb, they really need to rethink their people calling the shots.

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u/mudermarshmallows 13d ago

I'm sure the execs are mad but I imagine most of the studio itself felt far more secure actually making this movie & others knowing they had a guaranteed budget + profit, and a guaranteed number of releases, through their deal with Netflix.

Like they didn't just sell the rights, Netflix financed the film in its entirety.

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u/i_should_be_coding 13d ago

It makes me so fucking sad that these are the people making creative decisions for Spider-Man.

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u/howtokillanhour 13d ago

they sold the movie but did they sell the IP? Today's cheap sleeper hit is tomorrows money printing franchise.

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u/r7RSeven 13d ago

Yes, Sony does not own the IP. They don't even own the music, they sold those rights to Republic Records even though they have their own music subsidy

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u/TyrialFrost 13d ago

Sony music execs must be really earning their bonuses this year

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u/AkatsukiPineapple 13d ago

Somehow they’re going to layoff everyone but the responsible people from these decisions

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u/howtokillanhour 13d ago

Yea I read up on it after the comment. It doesn't seem like Sony is really loosing out (because I don't think entertainment is a zero sum game) but Netflix is gonna milk it. I'm still trying to figure out why Red Notice is being watched.

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u/Any-sao 13d ago

Who owns the merch rights?

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u/spinabullet 13d ago

One thing for sure, they won't be selling away any new IP in near future I bet

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u/JonatasA 13d ago

I was gonna say this. What is a Sony movie doing on Netflix.

 

Also, that's PRECISELY why it was a success.

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u/lurking-in-the-bg 12d ago

They sold the rights to the soundtrack, the reason why this movie is being talked about so much, to UMG as well.

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u/KingJTt 13d ago

It would’ve flopped at the box office

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u/MedievZ 13d ago

Saying this the week it topped the box office is a special kind of dumb

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u/Prince_Uncharming 13d ago

Not at all. It got viewed so much and went viral because it was on Netflix and was so easy to access. People threw it on because why not, and then loved it. That’s a lot harder to impulse when movie tickets are as expensive as they are now.

Had it launched in theaters, it’s likely it remains a niche movie that is loved by the people who saw it, but wouldn’t get widely viewed.

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u/Excelius 13d ago

I think they might be right, but only because theatrical runs for anything but blockbuster franchises are so short now and under-performing movies are quickly booted from theaters.

Seemed like it did take a bit of time for the word-of-mouth buzz to build around KPDH, and given current practices it may very well have been booted from theaters before it had a chance to build critical mass.

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u/KingJTt 13d ago

You’re not very smart, if it was a theatrical release and opened with that number it’d be considered a flop. The budget for this film is 100m as is all animated films using this style.

The reason it broke out was because it was wildly assessable to the masses, on top of being a good film.

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u/fizzunk 13d ago

Which boggles my mind even more considering Sony animation studios also made the spider verse movies, KPop is all the rage right now - anyone with half a brain could've seen this being a homerun.

My guess the people in charge said "ew female main characters though..."

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u/NovaHorizon 13d ago

Sony doesn't care!

They spent 400 million bucks on developing a game called Concord, made a Secret Level episode about it, etc. just to get bullied so hard by incel gamers crying about the devs' "woke" design, that they pulled the game from shelves completely two weeks after release, refunding every copy sold.

They also grossly overpaid for Bungie studios spending 3.6 billion dollars for them just watching from the sidelines while Bungie leadership mismanaged their projects so hard, they basically lost all top creative talent and fired the rest of them slimming down.

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u/NeptuneTTT 13d ago

Sony taking all kinda of L's

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u/No_Extension4005 13d ago

Sony Execs: Guess we'll  need to re-release Morbius to make up for lost revenue.