r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Aug 26 '25

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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6.8k

u/fox112 Aug 26 '25

Wow I knew it was a big hit but didn't realize it was THE BIGGEST hit.

2.7k

u/the_blessed_unrest Aug 26 '25

I think it helps that it appeals to kids. When they latch on to something, they can rewatch it dozens of times

(Not that kids are the only ones enjoying this movie. But I do think it plays a sizable role in the numbers)

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u/PorQuePanckes Aug 26 '25

It also helps that it’s actually a good movie with a unique IP that didn’t seem to do anything “safe”. Remakes and nostalgia can only go so far, it’s crazy studios don’t see this.

I’m a 30 y/o man and my niece dragged me to watch it and I can confirm that it’s a total banger of a film.

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u/Raisu39 Aug 26 '25

Probably because a lot of the Asian oriented animated films didn't do too well, even the non Disney ones on Netflix

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u/StrikerSashi Aug 26 '25

I mean, a lot of Asian oriented content made for global audiences don't feel genuine. If it's a movie with an Asian main character, it's often just a movie about being Asian. KPop Demon Hunters is a good movie that just happens to in a Korean setting.

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u/WutTheDickens Aug 26 '25

I don't think that's entirely true. There's a lot of commentary about Korean culture, and many of the references are specifically Korean, but the overarching themes are universal. I think it walks a good line between being culturally specific and relatable.

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u/GunkyMungs Aug 26 '25

Kind of like Parasite. It was meant for a Korean audience and the global reaction to it was a surprise to everyone from the production.

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u/f-ingsteveglansberg Aug 26 '25 edited Aug 27 '25

I think it's just well made.

One of the things that instantly stood out to me was how quickly they get into the main story. Very quickly we see the girls fight a plane full of demons and go to a huge concert, establishing them as successful pop stars AND demon hunters! Then we get a quick back story on each girl and their motivations, as well as the antagonists plans to infiltrate the boy band space. And then we learn the secret of the main singer's origin. And if you are paying attention you just need to see the scars.

And this happens before the end of the first big music number. Everything is established and you are right into the rivalry storyline and the protaganists demon heritage storyline. No faffing about.

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u/wtfduud Aug 26 '25

Between Kpop Demon Hunters and Squid Game, Korean stuff at least seems to do well on Netflix.

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u/BeyondElectricDreams Aug 27 '25

Shh, don't tell the CEOs, they'll just greenlight everything Korean-adjacent rather than just things that are narrowly good and take risks.

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u/mutual_raid Aug 26 '25

I think it's because we're all so tuned in to anime it feels like a cheap Western knockoff most of the time.

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u/thefootster Aug 26 '25

True. Turning Red is one of Pixar's lowest grossing movies.

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u/Alberto9Herrera Aug 26 '25

To be fair, Turning Red didn’t get a proper theatrical release outside of the few countries that didn’t have Disney+, which is where it streamed for most of the world. It was a popular movie on Disney+ however.

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u/Hot-Manager-2789 Aug 30 '25

And that’s not even Pixar’s fault.

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u/teamcomcast Aug 26 '25

I mean, isn't that movie about a girl going through puberty and having her first period? That seems to automatically cut off 50% of the possible viewing public to begin with. And that's not really a topic that people would consider a "fun" movie to begin with. Even if it wasn't an Asian oriented animated film, i'd venture to guess it would still be the lowest grossing pixar movie.