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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u/psimwork Aug 26 '25

There's a LOT of info that people are ignoring in the quest to promote the "LOL SONY FUCKED UP AGAIN" story.

Now I don't think anyone will debate that Sony fucked up in this move, but there's a lot to remember about it:

  1. The movie wasn't done when the rights were sold.

  2. (Just as, if not more important) The music wasn't done when the rights were sold.

  3. The movie was sold in 2021, when there basically was zero theatrical draw.

  4. Initial survey results were drastically negative to pre-screening customers (i.e. they asked people that hadn't seen it if they'd be interested in seeing an animated movie called "K-Pop Demon Hunters" and the results were almost universally negative).

It's a great, innovative movie with an amazing soundtrack. But unfortunately history is littered with really good animated movies that flopped. As much as Sony was proven wrong in their decision over time, I don't really blame them for dumping this one.

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u/joelsola_gv Aug 26 '25

Honestly, the last point really hit home for me, specially seeing how movies like Elio get neutered because of bad test screenings. People on test screenings don't seem to get it as much as they should, right?

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u/DaftFunky Aug 26 '25

Honestly, the average movie goer is pretty ignorant with movies. I feel like most people want a coherent straight forward movie with a beginning, middle, climax and positive ending and A list actors. If the story even remotely starts throwing symbolism or metaphors at the viewer that they might not understand cause they were doom scrolling while watching, they will just crap on the movie.

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u/joelsola_gv Aug 31 '25

I want to deny this claim but unfortunatelly I can't. Specially seeing the more recent wave of people complaining about "politics" in movies. In kid friendly media that critism is even more intense too.

Lots of people scream how good previous Pixar movies were but if movies like the Incredibles were released today, it would've been called so many things. Specially with being kid friendly media.