Over the past decade, Netflix has become home to a wide variety of popular original content, establishing the streaming service as a go-to platform for high quality movies and TV shows. Programs like Stranger Things and Squid Game became phenomenons. Films like The Irishman and Marriage Story earned widespread critical acclaim and accolades, cementing Netflix as a consistent player in the Oscar race. With all the high-profile titles and talent in its library, it’s no surprise several of Netflix’s works have garnered hundreds of millions of views. But one film stands above the rest after crossing an impressive milestone.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Kpop Demon Hunters, which was already Netflix’s most-watched movie of all time, now has accumulated over 300 million views. According to Netflix’s official site at the time of this writing, the total stands at 314,200,000. The second-place movie is Red Notice, which has 230,900,000 views. On the TV side of things, Squid Game Season 1 is the biggest hit with 265,200,000 views. The first season of Wednesday is the top English show with 252,100,000.
Can Kpop Demon Hunter‘s Record Ever Be Broken?
Netflix purchased Kpop Demon Hunters from Sony for around $20 million, an investment that clearly paid off. Not only was the film a massive hit on streaming, it also gave Netflix its first No. 1 finish at the box office when it played theatrically for a special one-weekend engagement in late August. Unsurprisingly, Netflix is looking to turn Kpop Demon Hunters into a franchise, with a sequel film in early development. The follow-up does not have a release date as of this writing.
That Kpop Demon Hunters sequel might have the best chance at breaking this Netflix record. The streaming service has more high-profile offerings on the way, including the final season of Stranger Things, but nothing has even come close to the numbers Kpop Demon Hunters pulled off. The only season of Stranger Things to crack Netflix’s top 10 of all time is Season 4, which released in 2022. It currently has 140,700,000 views. Though some fans have grown tired of the long wait for Stranger Things Season 5, it will still be a huge draw later this year as people tune in to see how the story ends. Even so, it will need to wildly outperform its predecessor to hit a new mark.
Some Netflix shows that came storming out of the gate struggled to maintain that momentum. Squid Game saw diminishing returns with each season; the second and third outings fell short of hitting 200 million views. This is a trend that’s plagued some of Netflix’s English shows as well. Though Wednesday Season 2 only came out a month ago, its viewership numbers are still far behind the first season, standing at 95,400,000 views as of this writing. Wednesday Season 3 is in the works, but that seems unlikely to come close to Kpop Demon Hunters considering the decreased interest.
Kpop Demon Hunters seemingly came out of nowhere, but perhaps it isn’t all that surprising it became Netflix’s biggest title ever. Thanks to its distinct animation style, creative concept, energetic story, and catchy soundtrack, there’s a lot about the film to recommend. It’s an easy sell for viewers looking for something entertaining to watch at home. It’ll be interesting to see if its follow-ups can replicate the success.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
image courtesy of 20th Century Studios -
Image courtesy of 2th Century Studios -
Image Courtesy of MAPPA -
images courtesy of New Line Cinema and Orion Pictures
