KPop Demon Hunters has been a mᴀssive success for Netflix, but the streaming service is missing a perfect opportunity to make the phenomenon even bigger. Since its release in July 2025, KPop Demon Hunters has become one of the most popular animated movies of the year, making waves online and garnering critical acclaim.

KPop Demon Hunters is already Netflix’s most-watched original animated movie of all time, and their fourth most-watched movie overall, with the ability to keep climbing the ranking. While many of Netflix’s animated movies don’t make the cultural impact of their theatrically released compeтιтors, this film has proven to be the exception.

The film itself is big, but the soundtrack is even bigger, with it soaring on music streaming service charts. Netflix is already comparing KPop Demon Hunters‘ success to that of Frozen, with the platform being interested in sequels, a live-action version, a TV show, musicals, and more. But there’s one step to boost its long-term success the streamer almost certainly won’t take.

A Theatrical Release For KPop Demon Hunters Could Be Huge For Netflix

Netflix doesn’t widely release its movies in theaters, with only some movies getting limited runs in order to do things like meet awards season criteria. However, if Netflix decided to release KPop Demon Hunters, the film could become even more of a phenomenon.

Most of the discussion around streaming vs. theaters frames the only options as: theatrical release followed by streaming; simultaneous theatrical and streaming releases; and streaming exclusives. Netflix has made their position on this debate very clear. But, what’s to stop them from experimenting with theaters as a secondary window for an already successful movie?

By keeping KPop Demon Hunters on streaming, Netflix is only gatekeeping the potential fanbase. A theatrical release is unlikely to cannibalize the movie’s streaming success at this point, and a major marketing push could not only put it in front of more eyes, but raise its profile. That would certainly help come awards season.

Even more importantly, it would give fans an opportunity for a collective experience that could deepen their attachment to the movie, and thus their hunger for a future franchise. Even a special, limited release could achieve this – if Netflix put a sing-along version of KPop Demon Hunters in theaters, it would be a surefire success.

The music is critical to the film’s appeal, and people would embrace the concert-like atmosphere of a sing-along screening. There is a ton of potential for KPop Demon Hunters to benefit from a theatrical release, and there’s no better opportunity for Netflix to experiment with a different relationship to theatrical exhibition.