Netflix is taking KPop Demon Hunters from streaming to the big screen. The animated hit will get a special two-day theatrical run across North America, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand on August 23 and 24, with sing-along screenings already selling out.
Tickets are available through Fandango and movie theater retail sites.
A Big Box Office Test for Netflix
Over 1,700 cinemas in the U.S. and Canada have already booked the event, with more theaters being added. More than 1,000 showtimes have sold out ahead of the screenings.
Regal Cinemas, Cinemark, and Alamo Drafthouse are all on board. AMC Theatres has not yet joined, but that could change given the demand. Box office estimates suggest the sing-along screenings could pull in $5–10 million in North America.
What KPop Demon Hunters Is About
The movie follows HUNTR/X, a K-pop trio made up of Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo). When they’re not performing as global superstars, they’re battling demons in secret. Their biggest threat arrives in the form of a rival boy band who turn out to be demons in disguise.
The voice cast also includes Ahn Hyo-seop, Yunjin Kim, Joel Kim Booster, Liza Koshy, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Byung Hun Lee. Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans for Sony Pictures Animation, the film combines pop spectacle with supernatural action.
From Streaming Success to Box Office Experiment
KPop Demon Hunters premiered on Netflix in June and quickly became the streamer’s most-watched animated original film. It is currently the second most popular English-language film in Netflix history, with more than 180 million views.
The soundtrack has also been a major part of its success. Songs like “Golden” have topped the Billboard Hot 100, while the album reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. Contributions come from artists including EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo, and even TWICE members Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung.
Competition at the Box Office
The special sing-along event is expected to boost an otherwise slow late-August weekend. Other new releases include Honey Don’t! from Ethan Coen, projected to earn $3–4 million, along with holdovers like Weapons and Freakier Friday in their third weekends. Both Marvel’s Fantastic Four and James Gunn’s Superman are also playing in theaters.
If KPop Demon Hunters performs strongly in theaters, it could mark a shift in how Netflix handles its biggest hits, potentially opening the door to more crossover releases in the future.
Watch the trailer:
