The Best Movie of 2025 Was Only At Theaters for 10 Days

One of 2025’s most surprising masterpieces was barely even in theaters. With streaming giants vying for top dog status with increasingly major acquisitions and partnerships, the fact that arguably the best movie of the entire year came from Netflix is not to be overlooked. Like many of Netflix’s other original movies, the film in question only had a short initial theatrical release from June 20 to 26. Netflix often does this in order to meet awards show eligibility criteria about theatrical releases, but it adds a strange note – perhaps even a further glimpse into the future – to the release.

Despite the massive success of KPop Demon Hunters, it was only in theaters for 10 days. The Sony Pictures Animation movie was released on Netflix on June 20, 2025, and it quickly became a massive success. On July 29, it was announced that the film had become Netflix’s most-watched animated film of all time, with it later becoming Netflix’s most-watched movie of all time on August 26. On September 3, KPop Demon Hunters passed Squid Game as Netflix’s most-watched title.

What KPop Demon Hunters’ Success Really Means

KPop Demon Hunters wasn’t just a commercial success, but also a critical one. The film is considered to be one of the best movies of 2025 by many, with it currently sitting at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Unlike many of Netflix’s other original films, KPop Demon Hunters had a massive cultural impact. The film has garnered a massive fandom, with several songs by Huntrix and the Saja Boys becoming successes of their own. Thus, Netflix is already making plans for future KPop Demon Hunters projects.

Netflix later rereleased the film in theaters as a sing-along version. From October 31 to November 2, fans could see KPop Demon Hunters on the big screen and sing along with the songs, adding fuel to the fandom fire. The sing-along version made $19.2 million across 1,700 theaters, making it the most successful of Netflix’s theatrical releases.

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KPop Demon Hunters: Netflix Has Plans For Sequels And More

KPop Demon Hunters’ theatrical success could be the start of a change in Netflix’s release strategy, as it has proven that dual-releases can be lucrative for the company. Despite being on streaming for months, fans were still willing to pay to see the movie on the big screen, a strategy that could continue to work with future releases. The company is undoubtedly hoping to recreate this success with the Stranger Things season 5 finale, which is also getting a theatrical release.

These tests prove that Netflix is toying with the idea of more theatrical releases, meaning more of their Originals could find their way off the streaming platform. This is especially true if Netflix is successful in its bid to buy Warner Bros. Warner is one of the historical Titans of movie theaters, and it would be a bad move for Netflix to immediately pull all of its upcoming movies from the big screen.

It isn’t known why Sony didn’t decide to release KPop Demon Hunters themselves, as it could have made more money if it hadn’t involved Netflix. However, it is possible that the streaming release allowed more curious viewers to check out the film, setting up the later theatrical success. KPop Demon Hunters is undoubtedly one of the most interesting release stories of 2025, and many analysts are curious to see what Netflix does next.

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