‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Surpasses 1 Billion Viewing Hours on Netflix

Few animated films in recent memory have captivated audiences worldwide like ‘KPop Demon Hunters’. Released on Netflix in June 2025, the film was co-written and directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix. It follows K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira, and Zoey as they juggle their lives as stadium-filling idols with their secret roles as demon hunters, safeguarding fans from supernatural dangers.

The film’s premiere sparked an unprecedented response from the streaming giant. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes awarded it a certified fresh score of 95 percent, while audiences rated it an impressive 99 percent. The New York Times praised it as “charming, funny, and artfully punchy.”

The soundtrack also made history, becoming the first film soundtrack to place four songs simultaneously in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, achieving double platinum certification in the US by October 2025.

Now, according to a post from What’s on Netflix on X, the film has reached another incredible milestone. ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ has spent 46 weeks in Netflix’s global top ten, accumulating over one billion viewing hours and an astounding 617 million completed views. This achievement places it at the top of Netflix’s all-time rankings, making it the platform’s most popular English-language film ever.

The numbers become even more impressive when considering the awards momentum accompanying them. The film won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for “Golden” at both the 83rd Golden Globe Awards and the 98th Academy Awards. Additionally, HUNTR/X made history as the first K-pop girl group to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Golden” being the first K-pop song to win a Grammy Award.

The creative team behind the film has expressed their cultural ambitions throughout its production. Director Maggie Kang stated via Netflix Tudum, “I feel immense pride as a Korean filmmaker that the audience wants more from this Korean story and our Korean characters. There’s so much more to this world we have built, and this is only the beginning.” Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria echoed this sentiment, noting that the film “ignited a global fandom that crossed languages, generations, and genres.”

A sequel has already been confirmed, with Kang and Appelhans returning to direct as part of an exclusive multiyear writing and directing partnership with Netflix. Given that the original has now spent nearly a full calendar year in the platform’s global top ten, the demand for more from the world of HUNTR/X is clearly not slowing down anytime soon.

Let us know in the comments whether you think ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ deserves its record-breaking run, or if there’s another animated film you believe should hold that title.