There has been no bigger hit movie on streaming services in 2025 than KPop Demon Hunters. The animated fantasy musical film was such a huge success on Netflix that it topped the charts and eventually was released in theaters as a sing-along version for its legions of fans.
Not only has KPop Demon Hunters been a mᴀssive hit this year, but it has actually set all-time records for Netflix. In fact, KPop Demon Hunters has actually become the most-watched movie in the history of the platform, which is especially impressive since Netflix is the world’s most popular streaming service.
According to Netflix’s stats, their most watched films ever include Oscar nominees like Don’t Look Up, the wildly popular thriller Bird Box, and Cameron Diaz’s return to acting in Back in Action. The best part is that KPop Demon Hunters took first place from a movie that really never should’ve been Netflix’s top film.
KPop Demon Hunters Is A Much Better Movie Than Red Notice
Before KPop Demon Hunters topped the all-time charts on Netflix, the streamer’s number one movie was Red Notice. In the eyes of many, this was something of an injustice because Red Notice was not exactly a well-received movie. In fact, reviews for it were mostly negative.
Red Notice was certainly a hit for Netflix, yet it basically accomplished that purely on star power. Led by Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot, the film was going to have people watch it regardless of the plot. That’s kind of what happened because the screenplay was one of the biggest aspects criticized of the film.
KPop Demon Hunters taking over the top spot is welcome because it’s a legitimately great movie. Red Notice holds a paltry 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while KPop Demon Hunters is at 97%. It even bests the most praised aspect of Red Notice, which were the action sequences, by featuring some fantastic animated scenes.
Unlike Red Notice, there wasn’t a case of notable cast members being the reason for KPop Demon Hunter’s success. It got to its spot as Netflix’s most popular movie purely on its own merit. It’s a fantastic film with an addictive soundtrack and tremendous visuals, earning its success through things like word of mouth.
KPop Demon Hunters Vs. Red Notice: Which Gets A Sequel First?
Regardless of how everyone feels about the quality of Red Notice and KPop Demon Hunters, Netflix is obviously going to make sequels of both. Most of the time, when a movie is wildly successful, studios will do whatever they can to produce more. That’s the case here, as both films have follow-ups in progress.
In early 2022, two sequels were announced for Red Notice, set to be filmed back-to-back with the main trio of cast members and the director all slated to return. That said, the last real update on these sequels was in 2022, with news that one of the scripts was finished. That means we likely won’t see Red Notice 2 for quite some time.
Meanwhile, the success of KPop Demon Hunters has made it something that Netflix wants to expand upon in great numbers. It was announced that there are plans for an animated sequel, a live-action adaptation (which is questionable), a TV series, and more.
It’s difficult to tell which film will get its sequel to arrive first. Producing something with the impressive animation of KPop Demon Hunters, along with writing a new soundtrack, can take a long time but the schedules of the Red Notice stars are busy, so that could take a while too.
Ultimately, it seems a bit more likely that we get more KPop Demon Hunters before more Red Notice, though.