How Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters became its first box office blockbuster: $16 million and counting

Netflix just pulled off the ultimate plot twist: the streaming giant, long accused of killing the movie theater vibe, just landed its first-ever No. 1 box-office title. And the culprit: None other than the insanely buzzy KPop Demon Hunters.

Over the weekend, rival studios estimate the animated musical won the competition, raking in $16–18 million in ticket sales. Some are even whispering numbers as high as $20 million. Netflix, of course, won’t confirm—because reporting ticket sales has never been its thing—but insiders couldn’t resist sharing the receipts.

Here’s the kicker: this victory lap came after “KPop Demon Hunters” already dominated Netflix’s charts for weeks. The streamer then dropped it into 1,750 theaters for a two-day, sing-along spectacle. Cue the irony: Netflix, the company that rewrote Hollywood’s rules to favor streaming, just topped the traditional box-office leaderboard—with a film Sony originally produced and sold to them.

The animated feature follows Huntr/x, a K-pop girl group turned demon-fighting trio—Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zooey (Ji-young Yoo)—who must take on their fiercest foes yet: a rival boy band of demons. It’s loud, it’s flashy, and apparently, it’s exactly what audiences wanted this summer.

Not everyone jumped on board. AMC, North America’s biggest theater chain, refused to screen the film. Didn’t matter. Netflix still snagged the weekend crown, while Zach Cregger’s horror hit “Weapons” kept strong with $15.6 million and Disney’s “Freakier Friday” trailed with $9.2 million.

“It’s a completely unique two-day musical event,” said David A. Gross of FranchiseRe. “It may turn out to be higher. Theater owners are quick on their feet and can add capacity according to demand.”

The movie, which debuted on Netflix in late June, is already the platform’s most-watched animated original. And with this surprise theatrical win, it’s clear: Even in 2025, when demons are boy bands and streaming giants go old-school, the box office still loves a good spectacle.