“KPop Demon Hunters” just became Netflix’s most watched film

Merch. Sequels. More KPDH. Netflix execs have another big hit on their hands.

8/29/25 10:41AM

Updated 9/17/25 9:33AM

Netflix’s Korean-inspired hits just keep on coming, as “KPop Demon Hunters” has become the streamer’s most watched film of all time, racking up 314 million views since its June 20 release.

In just over two months, Netflix and Sony Pictures animated musical has surpassed “Red Notice,” the 2021 Ryan Reynolds film that previously held the record with 231 million views in its first 91 days.

Despite a slightly shorter run time, “KPDH” has also now taken the title of "most hours viewed" with a whopping 524 million hours on its record since its release.

Kpop demon hunters popularity chart — Sherwood News

That’s on top of scoring the theatre-averse streamer’s first box office No. 1 thanks to a sing-along version of the movie.

My little (revenue) pop

Unlike other movies on Netflix’s ranks that peak in their first week of release before slowing down, “KPDH” has gained popularity a little more steadily, raking in an average of 43 million hours viewed in the last three weeks of data reported. That unusual staying power is in part thanks to millions of kids who are reportedly watching the movie six to eight times on average (or even more for some) — an enthusiastic audience that’s frequently driving the top of the charts in the world of TV, too.

Alongside a flurry of celebrations around the film’s Billboard chart performance and potential Oscar ambitions, Netflix shareholders will be pleased to know that the streamer also owns the film’s merchandising rights. Naturally, they’re already talking about a sequel.

Update (September 17 2025): This article has been updated to reflect Netflix's latest data.

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The Disney sequel just had the second-biggest foreign film debut ever in China, even as the country’s box office leans heavily toward domestic movies.

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US officials want to bring back the “Golden Age of Travel” — and that starts with ditching pajamas at the airport

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Netflix climbs ahead of “Stranger Things” streaming premiere amid reports it is ramping up its efforts to acquire WBD

The final season of Netflix’s tentpole franchise “Stranger Things” debuts on the streamer at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, and its stock appears to be safely out of the upside down.

Netflix is trading up about 2% on Wednesday, on pace for one of its better days in the past three months. The stock has closed up more than 3% only a dozen times this year.

Potentially boosting investor optimism is a New York Post report from Tuesday evening that the streamer has ramped up its efforts to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. According to the Post, Netflix has made a case to the WBD board that antitrust concerns may not be warranted because Netflix competes not just with other streaming companies but with a larger pool of content providers, such as YouTube and TikTok. If Netflix’s legal team is right, the idea could pave the way for the world’s largest streamer by subscriber count to buy the fourth-largest.

At least one major Hollywood player is rooting against the company in the WBD bidding war. “Titanic” and “Avatar” director James Cameron this week said that Netflix acquiring WBD “would be a disaster.”

Morgan Stanley analysts have also argued that Netflix’s pursuit of these studio and streaming assets was creating headaches for its investors.

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2025’s biggest movies are family-friendly PG flicks and R-rated horrors

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