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Netflix is taking its fight with Disney to hallowed ground: family-friendly sing-alongs.
Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” is briefly coming to select movie theaters as a sing-along event, in a new challenge to the Mouse House.
Fans of “Kpop Demon Hunters” and its popular soundtrack can see the fictional K-pop girl group HUNTR/X on the big screen when the smash-hit film hits theaters in the US and Canada on August 23 and 24, Netflix said on Tuesday.
The animated flick has become Netflix’s second-most-watched movie ever since its mid-June debut and was the No. 2 movie on the platform last week, based on data released on Tuesday afternoon. It set records by hitting a new viewership peak six weeks after its debut and narrowly missed achieving that feat again in its seventh week.
“KPop Demon Hunters” owes some of its success to its chart-topping soundtrack. One of the movie’s original songs, “Golden,” is the No. 1 track on Billboard’s Hot 100 rankings this week, and the full setlist is currently the second most popular album in the world.
A Netflix spokesperson didn’t provide a comment beyond the press release.
Netflix can take on Disney without changing its tune on theaters
Putting “KPop Demon Hunters” on big screens is an intriguing move for Netflix, which has often given theaters the cold shoulder.
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Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in April that putting movies exclusively in theaters for months is “an outdated concept,” Variety reported. However, Netflix has experimented with theaters, such as by giving “Knives Out 2” a limited theatrical release in 2022 and promising to give big-screen time to Greta Gerwig’s forthcoming movie based on “The Chronicles of Narnia.”
“KPop Demon Hunters” has already moved from a hit to a cultural phenomenon, and creating a limited-edition event may further fuel interest on Netflix and for the soundtrack.
Putting “Kpop Demon Hunters” in theaters, even for only two days, suggests that Netflix is set on making its biggest animated film ever a full-blown franchise.
Netflix is also encroaching on what’s long been Disney’s territory: animated family-friendly movies with catchy songs.
Disney’s most recent swing in original animation, “Elio,” underwhelmed at the box office despite strong reviews. Pixar’s latest film grossed just shy of $150 million worldwide, and its budget was at least that much, The Hollywood Reporter said. However, “Elio” could get a second wind on Disney+.
Netflix placing “KPop Demon Hunters” in theaters may not mean it’s rethinking its broader movie strategy, but it does signify that it’s trying to take Disney’s bread and butter.
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