The KPop Demon Hunters theatrical release didn’t make much noise at the box office, even though the movie has been a monster smash on Netflix for months. It reopened in theaters over Halloween weekend, barely making a dent in ticket sales. However, the surprising part is that the sequel is already moving forward. This is one rare case where streaming success mattered more than showing up in theaters.
Streaming Turned It into a Hit, Theaters Didn’t
When KPop Demon Hunters dropped on Netflix earlier this year, it took off fast. It was one of the streamer’s biggest animated releases of 2025, pulled in hundreds of millions of views worldwide, and sent the soundtrack climbing onto music charts. TikTok was flooded with dance edits, cosplay reactions, and fan art, and the movie even inspired a few real-world flash mobs. Basically, it became its own little global obsession.
So, when the KPop Demon Hunters theatrical release was announced, everyone expected a decent turnout. Instead, the re-release pulled in around five million dollars, which isn’t terrible, but nowhere close to what you’d expect from a movie with so much online hype. It wasn’t bad word of mouth. People had simply already seen it. At home, for free, on repeat.
Why Fans Didn’t Show Up for the KPop Demon Hunters Theatrical Release
There were a few reasons this didn’t translate from streaming smash to box office hit. The biggest one is timing. Halloween weekend wasn’t great for theaters in general, and films that don’t fall into horror or franchise categories tend to struggle. Another problem is that the movie’s ideal audience is already super online. They’d watched it, rewatched it, memed it, and moved on.
And honestly, KPop Demon Hunters feels like the type of movie people watch in groups, at sleepovers, or while scrolling on their phones. No one is throwing shade. It just means it works better in living rooms than in auditoriums.
The Sequel is Already Moving Forward
The underwhelming KPop Demon Hunters theatrical release numbers for the Halloween viewing aren’t stopping anything. The sequel is still happening, still in development, and still backed by the same creators. Multiple outlets, including Collider, confirmed that Netflix and Sony Animation were already committed before the theatrical re-release was even scheduled. The lesson here is that, in 2025, box office doesn’t get a final say. Viewer traction does.
And KPop Demon Hunters has loads of cultural impact to fall back on. It’s already spawned toys, dolls, shirts, TikTok audio trends, Halloween costumes, and fan accounts. The characters hit in a way that traditional kids’ movies don’t always manage. People don’t just watch this movie; they interact with it.
What We Know About the Sequel (And What We’re Guessing)
While details are still light, the sequel is moving fast. Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans have confirmed they’re returning, and they’ve hinted that the next film will lean harder into the must-world mythology that fans loved the first time around. Netflix will get the release first again, and there’s a real chance the soundtrack will be rolled out as a full label-backed album instead of a playlist drop.
Fans are also hoping for more story time with the original girl group characters, deeper demon lore, and maybe a shift to another musical genre since K-pop was the doorway in. Will it be J-pop next? Latin pop? A Demon Hunters cinematic universe? Nobody knows yet, but the online theories are already unhinged in the best, most entertaining ways.
What the Franchise May Look Like Going Forward
The KPop Demon Hunters sequel won’t be live action. The directors said the world only works in animation, and hardcore fans agree. That alone tells you studios have finally started adjusting to how kids (and adults) watch things now. Instead of trying to force a theatrical redemption arc, the studio is striving more for what works: streaming numbers, social visibility, and replay-ability.