'KPop Demon Hunters' becomes Netflix’s most-watched movie of all time

Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters can add another milestone to its impressive summer run: it is now the streaming service's most watched movie ever.
According to Netflix's internal data, the animated sensation received 25.4 million views worldwide from 18 to 24 August, bringing its total to 236 million since its 20 June release. That was enough to propel KPop Demon Hunters past Red Notice and into first place on Netflix's all-time list of English-language films. Netflix's all-time top ten lists are based on views within a title's first 91 days of release.

The action comedy Red Notice, which will be released in November 2021 and stars Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds, has been the top-grossing film for over three years. In its first 13 weeks, it garnered 230.9 million views (total viewing time divided by run time).

KPop Demon Hunters has risen to the top of Netflix's all-time movie charts in the same week that it won a box office victory with a sing-along version released in theaters. Netflix hasn't officially reported box office income for the weekend, but it generated between $17 million and $18 million between 22 and 24 August, putting it ahead of Weapons, which earned $15.4 million.

The movie follows the exploits of Huntrix, a trio of girls who battle underworld monsters in secrecy. Throughout the movie, the girls fight the recently formed Saja Boys, a K-pop boy band composed of demons who want to destroy Huntrix and steal the souls of their followers.

Additionally, the film features a popular soundtrack that debuted at the top of the music charts. "Golden," the main single from KPop Demon Hunter, peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 two weeks ago and returned to the top spot this week after dropping to number two the previous week. Since Destiny's Child in 2001, Huntrix is the first girl group to reach the top of the Hot 100. Four of the movie's songs are now in the top ten on the chart: "Your Idol" at number four, "Soda Pop" at number five, and "How It's Done" at number ten.

In the ten weeks since its debut, KPop Demon Hunters has been remarkably reliable on Netflix. The film received 9.2 million views on its first weekend of release and has not dropped below 22.7 million views in any subsequent week. KPop Demon Hunters' run is even the more remarkable because most Netflix original films leave the streamer's top 10 after around a month.