KPop Demon Hunters, produced by Sony Animation, has been a major win for Netflix since it premiered on the platform in June. If the stylized saga of three pop-singer slayers had actually gone to theaters, it probably would have dominated (just look at Marvel movie interest). As of publication, the movie remains #1 on the platform Thankfully, Netflix has wised up: KPop Demon Hunters will arrive to multiplexes later this month.
Revealed with little fanfare on Fandango, KPop Demon Hunters will pop up in select Regal Theaters on Aug. 23 and 24 for a “sing-a-Long” version. The move follows sing-a-long success stories like last December’s Wicked re-release, the difference being that KPop Demon Hunters fans never actually got to see the movie on the big screen (unless you lived near one of the three screens Netflix dumped it on to for Oscar eligibility). Tickets for the event are on sale now.
The hype for KPop Demon Hunters is real, and the backwards streaming-to-theaters pipeline makes a lot of sense for Netflix. Since its release on June 20, the animated film has racked up an astonishing 158.8 million views, making it the fourth most-watched English-language movie in Netflix history. Unlike most Netflix originals, it also boasts a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score. Critics and Kpop fans alike have all jumped on the Demon Hunters train.
The success has translated to a zeitgeist moment that’s more akin to Stranger Things or Squid Games than any Netflix movie. Mostly because the songs are legit. Tracks like “Golden” and “Your Idol,” performed by fictional in-film groups Huntr/x and Saja Boys, have broken into the Billboard Hot 100 while dominating streaming charts. And the characters performing them are as equally stan-able; on Archive of Our Own, more than 3,600 works of fanfiction were posted within a month of release—outpacing even established franchises like Star Wars: Andor.
Netflix is reportedly exploring ways to expand the property into a multi-platform franchise. Whether or not any of the potential projects move forward doesn’t really matter — K-Pop Demon Hunters has already cemented itself as a pop culture milestone. But in 2025, that means it ekes out a theatrical release instead of starting with one.
