Netflix’s ‘Swapped’ Opens Stronger Than ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Can It Keep the Momentum

Netflix continues to excel in the animated feature space, showcasing its commitment to the genre. Following the groundbreaking success of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ in the latter half of 2025, the platform has introduced a vibrant new contender.

‘Swapped’, directed by Nathan Greno and produced by John Lasseter, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Mary Ellen Bauder Andrews, is a collaboration between Netflix and Skydance Animation. The film tells the story of two natural adversaries in The Valley—a small woodland creature and a majestic bird—who unexpectedly switch bodies and must navigate their world from entirely different perspectives.

This marks Greno’s return to feature films after directing ‘Tangled’ in 2010, bringing significant animated experience to ‘Swapped’. The voice cast features Michael B. Jordan, Juno Temple, and Tracy Morgan, following the journey of a pookoo named Ollie and a bird named Ivy as they explore life through each other’s eyes. Jordan’s involvement adds star power, being his first screen role since winning an Oscar for ‘Sinners’, which piques public interest.

According to Netflix’s own viewership data, ‘Swapped’ debuted as the second most-watched English-language film on the platform during its opening week, premiering on May 1st and garnering 15.5 million views. This marks the largest three-day opening for a Netflix animated film since ‘Leo’.

To put this into perspective, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ opened with only 5.4 million views and a total of 9 million hours streamed during its debut. In contrast, ‘Swapped’ has significantly outperformed those initial numbers.

However, initial viewership figures are just one aspect of the narrative. ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ became a global phenomenon through word of mouth, maintaining a spot in Netflix’s weekly top 10 nearly a year after its release, a feat deemed unprecedented. It achieved 482 million views in the latter half of 2025 alone, ranking first among all Netflix content during that time. The film also won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 98th Oscars, with director and co-writer Maggie Kang dedicating the award to Korea and its people.

The real question remains whether ‘Swapped’ can maintain this momentum. The film has received mixed reviews, currently holding a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have pointed out that while the film may lack narrative originality, it compensates with a talented voice cast, a beautifully crafted world, and a surprisingly dark twist to its storyline. Conversely, some critics argue that the pacing feels rushed, and the core plot—where Ollie and Ivy traverse The Valley in search of glowing pods—doesn’t sufficiently develop either character.

Despite the mixed reviews, audiences are turning out in strong numbers, and Netflix is clearly focused on expanding its animated offerings. The success of ‘Zootopia 2’, which concluded its theatrical run as the highest-grossing domestic film of 2025, alongside Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’, which had the best debut for an original animated film since 2017, indicates a robust demand for animation. ‘Swapped’ arrives at a time of heightened interest, though its long-term success remains uncertain.

While ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ has set a high bar, ‘Swapped’ is making a strong case for the health of Netflix’s animated ambitions. Share your thoughts in the comments about whether you believe ‘Swapped’ has the potential to become Netflix’s next major animated hit.