KPop Demon Hunters Shatters Netflix Records, Sequel Set for 2029

KPop Demon Hunters has quietly become a juggernaut on Netflix, outpacing every other film on the platform and nabbing a string of major awards along the way. When it first landed in June, there wasn’t much fanfare—just another animated flick, or so it seemed. Fast forward seven months, and it’s still holding strong in the Top 10, with two successful stints in cinemas and a soundtrack that’s climbed music charts worldwide. The numbers are staggering: it’s now the most-watched film in Netflix’s history, and the accolades keep rolling in.

Critics and punters alike have given it a massive thumbs up. The film boasts a 93% Tomatometer from 99 reviews, and a near-perfect 99% audience score on the Popcornmeter. Not bad for a title that Sony originally handed off to Netflix as part of a content deal. The story follows a K-Pop trio who moonlight as demon hunters, facing both internal drama and supernatural threats. Since its debut, the film has racked up over 100 nominations at various film and music awards, walking away with 83 wins so far. Among the highlights: a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Animated and another for Best Original Song – Motion Picture for “Golden.” It’s also in the running for five Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, plus a nod for Best Original Song at the Oscars in March.

Sequel Announced, Fans Set for a Wait

With such runaway success, it’s no surprise a follow-up is on the cards. But fans will need to be patient—there was no sequel in the works, so the next chapter won’t hit screens until 2029. That might sound like a long haul, but for animated features, it’s actually a pretty standard turnaround. For comparison, the Spider-Verse films had a five-year gap between the first and second, and the third is set to arrive four years after the last. Disney’s been even slower, taking nine years to follow up Zootopia, six for Frozen 2, and eight for Moana 2. So, a four-year wait for the next KPop Demon Hunters instalment is par for the course.

In the meantime, the original isn’t losing steam. It’s still pulling in around 9 million views a week, outpacing even festive favourites like Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which managed 7.7 million during the holidays. With its spot at the top looking secure, the only real contender to break its records might just be its own sequel when it finally arrives.