One of the biggest success stories of the year has undoubtedly been the journey of KPop Demon Hunters, the recent Netflix animated film created by Sony Animation. The film looked fun when the first trailers dropped, but when it debuted on the platform, it quickly became one of Netflix’s biggest movies of all time.
KPop Demon Hunters has already broken a number of records, as it has become Netflix’s second most-watched film of all time, and its soundtrack has topped the charts in numerous categories. The bottom line is, the movie has become an absolute success, which has led to Netflix coming out with a very limited theatrical release event for this weekend.
The event is called KPop Demon Hunters: A Sing-Along Event, which is meant to capitalize on the popularity of the film and the soundtrack. However, it is also a sign that Netflix could finally be learning a lesson that they have been ignoring throughout the company’s entire existence.
KPop Demon Hunters Could Show Netflix The Value Of Theatrical Releases
Netflix has released many films in theaters, but each of those releases has been very small, only coming to select territories or theaters for a limited time. The fact that these events are so restrictive makes it a very difficult experience trying to watch some of these movies on the big screen.
Netflix does have its reasons, as sending a movie out to theaters for an extended period of time is expensive, and many people are content to wait for streaming anyway. These limited releases are generally just so the films can earn eligibility for awards ceremonies like the Oscars, which require some sort of theatrical release.
However, the Demon Hunters theatrical release is very different from the way the company usually handles these kinds of things. This version came out months after the movie debuted on Netflix, meaning that most people who would be interested will have already watched the film.
KPop Demon Hunters‘ new release is only available in select theaters in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.
Despite that, the pre-sale ticket numbers for the KPop Demon Hunters sing-along event have been exceptional, with some analysts believing that the movie could earn upwards of $15 million at the domestic box office, and possibly win the weekend, even though it is only available for two days.
With that amount of success, for a movie that has already been seen millions of times, Netflix could finally reconsider its theatrical release strategy. There are so many movies on that platform that could find success in theaters with a more widely available and marketed release, including Guillermo Del Toro’s upcoming Frankenstein, which is only getting a limited release.
This movie is already one of Netflix’s most successful movies, so it would be very fitting for the film to cause the company to change its mind on this matter. Not every project needs a full, wide release, but the biggest ones absolutely deserve it. KPop Demon Hunters can prove that they will be worth it.
