'Kpop Warriors' becomes the most-watched film in Netflix history.

Kpop Demon Hunters has become the most-watched film in Netflix history, according to internal data from the company, with 236 million views. The record was reached the same weekend it was released in physical theaters in the US, where it also triumphed: for the first time, a Netflix film topped the box office in that territory, after grossing $18 million.

The animated film, based in the K-pop universe, follows the adventures of Huntr/x, a group of three girls (Rumi, Mira, and Zoey) who secretly battle monsters from the underworld while pursuing a musical career. The girls spend the film competing against the Saja Boys, a newly formed K-pop boy band made up of demons destined to steal the souls of their fans and defeat Huntr/x.

The curious thing is that The Kpop Warriors isn't an original on the N platform, but was acquired from Sony, a studio that invested €100 million in its production. According to the digital media outlet Puck, the deal closed for almost €20 million. The Hollywood Reporter defends Sony's move, stating that Netflix agreed to cover the entire budget for the animated feature film, in addition to paying Sony 25% of the budget and some other costs.

Most viewed all summer

Throughout the summer, the animated film has consistently ranked among the most-watched films on Netflix, and during the week of August 18-24, it had 25.4 million views, bringing the total to 236 million since its June 20 release. That's why it surpassed Red Alert (2021), the thriller starring Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds, and Dwayne Johnson, on the most-watched list. Red Alert will actually have more views currently, because Netflix compiles that list based on views in the first 91 days of a title's release.

According to the specialized media outlet The Wrap, Netflix wants to turn The Kpop Warriors into its Frozen, and to that end, it's preparing two sequels: a short film and a stage musical. Officially, yesterday, Monday, Netflix and Sony announced they had begun negotiations for a sequel, without elaborating on further details.

What was known was that it was Sony who convinced Netflix to release a physical film in theaters last weekend. The platform doesn't release figures for this release, which also took place in the UK, but industry sources confirm that it grossed between $17 and $18 million in the US and Canada, surpassing Weapons (which had been in theaters longer), which grossed $15.4 million. And it was only shown for two days: last Saturday and Sunday. It was also released in theaters in a Sing-along version, in which audiences can, almost must, sing along with the stars.

Because the soundtrack has been another smash hit. The title track, "Golden," reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 two weeks ago, regaining its top spot this week after dropping to second last week. Huntr/x is the first girl group to top the Hot 100 since Destiny's Child in 2001. The K-pop warriors also have three other songs in the top 10 on the chart: "Your Idol" at number four; "Soda Pop" at number five; and "How It's Done " at number ten. It is the first soundtrack to have four songs simultaneously in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

As for its run on the platform, Kpop Warriors has had an unprecedented 10-week run. It opened with 9.2 million views in its opening weekend and has never dropped below 22.7 million per week since. Most films released directly on Netflix drop out of the top 10 after about a month.

The film was directed by two animation industry veterans, Chris Appelhans and Aggie Kang , who in an interview with Animation Magazine said, “I wanted to make a film set in Korean culture, as well as a love letter to K-pop, and so I delved into mythology and demonology, in search of something visually unique.” There is a clear identification between their fans and the main characters. “On stage, they are perfect,” Arden Cho , the actress who voices Rumi, told The Hollywood Reporter during its promotion. “But off stage, they are goofy, real, they make funny faces. They eat whatever they want and burp. They are even clumsy. Also, Rumi is ashamed of being half-demon, and that feeling makes her equal to the girls of today.”