KPop Demon Hunters is not only about to become Netflix’s most successful film, it’s also heading into cinemas this weekend. The discussion about Netflix’s commitment to theatrical releases of its films has been bubbling again this week. We learn that Guillermo del Toro’s much-anticipated Frankenstein is going to be playing in cinemas for three weeks, ... KPop Demon Hunters might yet be the big Netflix theatrical turnaround
KPop Demon Hunters is not only about to become Netflix’s most successful film, it’s also heading into cinemas this weekend.
The discussion about Netflix’s commitment to theatrical releases of its films has been bubbling again this week. We learn that Guillermo del Toro’s much-anticipated Frankenstein is going to be playing in cinemas for three weeks, whilst Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery has had its theatrical run cut right back.
Yet while all that was going on, Netflix was capitalised on a phenomenon that’ll be a mystery to some, very familiar to others: the huge success of KPop Demon Hunters. This has been the top film on Netflix streaming over the school holidays, and has crept up on many people. But unusually, Netflix is now taking a movie that was bought for its streaming service, and sending it out to cinemas afterwards. I can’t remember it doing that before.
KPop Demon Hunters, this coming weekend, is going to be playing in thousands of cinemas around the world. It’ll be a sing-a-long version, and reports are suggesting that many of the planned screenings have already sold out. Netflix won’t be reporting its box office figures, but even on a limited amount of screens, it might just bring in $10m of business. Should that prove to be the case, then further sing-a-long screenings may well follow. After all, when a musical movie hits, the repeat business can be quite something. The Greatest Showman, after a modest start, was still packing people in months after its original release.
As the title suggests, KPop Demon Hunters also taps into the KPop phenomena, and the film is now anticipated to be the most popular of all time on the Netflix platform.
The film was put together by Sony Pictures Animation, and was only released in June. A sequel is surely, surely already well underway.
There will not, we’re anticipating, be sing-a-long releases of other Netflix huge hits such as Red Notice and Carry-On. We’ll, er, see what happens with Frankenstein and Wake Up Dead Man.
