In the pantheon of hit Netflix movies, Kpop Demon Hunters is truly one of one. The global sensation has put together a historically unprecedented run since its debut last summer, staying in the streamer’s top 10 chart for 50 consecutive weeks. It is far and away the most-watched Netflix movie of all time, racking up a whopping 325.1 million views (the next closest is Red Notice with 230.9 million). What makes that stat all the more incredible is that Kpop Demon Hunters didn’t come storming out of the gate. It released to limited fanfare and caught on thanks to word of mouth, meaning it doesn’t own every viewership record in Netflix’s history books.
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Case in point: Netflix has announced that Swapped, which debuted on May 1st, has become the fastest Netflix animated film to reach 100 million views. The movie has been a sizable draw for over a month, staying in Netflix’s top 10 worldwide for all five weeks it’s been available.
Can Swapped Break Kpop Demon Hunter‘s All-Time Record?
From the beginning, Swapped has been lapping Kpop Demon Hunters in terms of viewership numbers. It scored a higher opening and now reached 100 million views at an earlier point in its run. On the surface, it seems like Swapped could be a realistic challenger to more Kpop Demon Hunters records, but it’s still too early to make that call. Kpop Demon Hunters is an anomaly. Typically, Netflix’s original movies net massive figures in the first few weeks they’re out and then slide down the chart (similar to how movies perform at the box office). It’s hard to see anything rivaling Kpop Demon Hunters‘ streak, staying in the top 10 for nearly a full calendar year.
Kpop Demon Hunters benefited greatly from enthusiastic word of mouth. Its gorgeous art style and catchy soundtrack gave it a cross-generational appeal that not all animated movies have. People of all ages found something to enjoy, and the fact that Kpop Demon Hunters is considered a great film (91% on Rotten Tomatoes) meant it’s enjoyed several repeat viewings. Swapped reviews have been a bit more mixed (68% on Rotten Tomatoes). The audience score is higher at 87%, but that doesn’t always translate to more views. Swapped is doing very well right now, but it still has a long way to go, and odds are it’ll slide down the charts a bit once the “new release” sheen wears off.
All that said, Kpop Demon Hunters is an incredibly high bar for any film to clear, and Swapped shouldn’t be judged on whether or not it ultimately breaks the all-time viewership record. The movie is already a massive success, and it stands a great chance of cracking Netflix’s top 10 movies of all time. In 10th place on that list is this year’s sci-fi hit War Machine with 139 million total views. Should Swapped eventually surpass that number, it would become just the second animated movie in Netflix’s top 10, so the streamer is potentially turning itself into an animation powerhouse.
Kpop Demon Hunters is becoming a major franchise for Netflix moving forward, with a sequel in development and other tie-in products on the way to help fill the void. It’ll be interesting to see if the same thing happens with Swapped. Audiences seem to have a fondness for talking animal movies (Zootopia 2, Hoppers), so Netflix could be interested in pursuing some kind of follow-up. If not a direct sequel to Swapped, it wouldn’t be surprising if the streamer looked to work with the same creative team to see what else they can make together.
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