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The Netflix blockbuster KPop Demon Hunters has dropped off the streaming platform’s Global Top 10 Movies chart 14 months after its debut.
Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, KPop Demon Hunters was released on Netflix on June 20, 2025. Within the first 91 days of the animated movie musical’s release, it went on to become the most-streamed Netflix original movie in the history of the platform, attracting 325.1 million views, which equates to a staggering 541 million viewing hours.
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The film, of course, follows the K-pop singing trio HUNTR/X — Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong) and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) — who moonlight as demon hunters. Also starring EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as the singing voices of Rumi, Mira and Zoey, respectively, KPop Demon Hunters went to win Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (for “Golden”) at the 2026 Academy Awards.
In the wake of the film’s blistering reception and successful awards season run, merchandisers had to play catch-up with the success of KPop Demon Hunters. In October 2025, Netflix granted global master licenses to Mattel to produce dolls and action figures, and Hasbro to produce games and role-playing items. The items from the company began hitting store shelves mid-summer.
Now, as the buying frenzy is beginning to ramp up for KPop Demon Hunters merchandise begins to ramp up, the viewership for the film on Netflix appears to be winding down after an unprecedented run in the film. Just over two months after the film became the first feature in Netflix’s history to place in the platform’s weekly Global Top 10 Movies chart for a year, KPop Demon Hunters has finally dropped off the chart.
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Now, for the first time since late June 2020, KPop Demon Hunters is absent from Netflix’s latest Global Top 10 Movies chart, which revealed the number of views and viewing hours for films on the platform for the week of Aug. 31 through Sept. 6. The film’s last appearance on the chart was for the week of Aug. 24 through Aug. 30, when it accumulated 2.9 million views, which equates to 4.8 million viewing hours.
It’s completely within reason that KPop Demon Hunters will find its way back to the Global Top 10 Movies chart, especially since the arrival of merchandise based on the film may prompt fans to stream the film once again. The caveat is, however, that a massive streak on the chart has been broken.
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Zoey, Rumi and Mira in “KPop Demon Hunters.”
Sony Pictures CEO Doesn’t Think ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Would Have Performed As Well In Theaters As It Has On Netflix
While KPop Demon Hunters was produced by Sony Pictures Animation, Netflix acquired the film for streaming, which began on the platform after the film met theatrical requirements to be eligible for movie awards season races, including the Oscars.
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Speaking during the BofA Securities 2026 Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference in New York on Wednesday (via Variety), Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO Ravi Ahuja appeared to have no regrets about Netflix acquiring the film in the wake of all of its success.
“It seems very obvious now, but at the time it was first being developed in 2021, Netflix felt like the right home, and I’d argue it really was the right home,” Ahuja said during the conference. “I mean, if you look at the trajectory of K-Pop Demon Hunters, it didn’t start that strong, but it built over time.
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“So, the Netflix platform really helped to build K-Pop Demon Hunters,” Ahuja added. “Had it been theatrical, I mean, boy, this is such a hypothetical. Who knows if it would have had a big opening weekend? But it’s done incredibly well on Netflix.”
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Netflix originally acquired KPop Demon Hunters from SPE for $25 million and covered the film’s $100 million production cost, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In the wake of the film’s success, Netflix in November 2025 also awarded Sony Pictures a $15 million bonus, per THR.
A sequel to KPop Demon Hunters is in the works for a 2029 release. The film is streaming exclusively on Netflix, and it is getting a physical media release through the Criterion Collection in November.
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This article was originally published on Forbes.com
