KPop Demon Hunters is coming back soon with a new release, and it is what Netflix should be doing more for its most popular movies and TV shows. Over the years, the list of Netflix Original movies to find global success on the streaming service has gotten quite long. A lot of those are genre releases, like KPop Demon Hunters.
That said, no other movie or TV show on Netflix has achieved the level of success of KPop Demon Hunters. The animated movie racked up a massive 325.1 million views. That mark is simply the highest for any Netflix release, ranking higher than the projects on Netflix's top 10 English and non-English movies and TV shows. KPop Demon Hunters is unique.
Views are calculated by dividing a Netflix movie or show's hours watched by its runtime. As such, with 541.8 million hours watched in KPop Demon Hunters' first 91 days on Netflix, and a 100-minute runtime, the film landed at a Netflix best 325.1 million views. What is even more impressive is its longevity, as KPop Demon Hunters has spent 61 weeks on Netflix's global top 10.
Now Streaming · Press Play How Well Do You Know Netflix Originals? “Red light, green light.”
🌀Stranger ThingsThe Upside Down
🎭Squid GamePlayer 456
👑The CrownLong live the Queen
🕸WednesdayNevermore Academy
🌹BridgertonDearest readers
01
Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number?
✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries.
02
The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character?
✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022.
03
In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it?
✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
04
Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1-2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3-4?
✓ Correct! Olivia Colman — fresh off her Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite — played the Queen across seasons 3 and 4, covering the late 1960s through the early Thatcher years. Imelda Staunton took over for seasons 5-6, Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3-4, and Gillian Anderson stole the show as Margaret Thatcher in season 4.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Olivia Colman. Imelda Staunton took over for the final two seasons (5-6). Helena Bonham Carter played the chain-smoking Princess Margaret during seasons 3-4 alongside Colman. Gillian Anderson delivered an Emmy-winning Margaret Thatcher in season 4. Colman anchored the show’s middle era fresh off her 2019 Oscar win.
05
The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s nostalgia juggernaut sees Eleven and the gang battle inter-dimensional horrors from a portal beneath the town’s Hawkins National Laboratory. In which fictional US town and state is the series set?
✓ Correct! Hawkins, Indiana — a fictional Midwestern small town that became one of TV’s most iconic settings. The Duffer Brothers chose Indiana for its unassuming, ordinary-America vibe, making the supernatural chaos feel more jarring. Derry is Stephen King’s It setting, Hill Valley is from Back to the Future, and Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s famous town.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Hawkins, Indiana. Derry, Maine is the fictional town from Stephen King’s It. Hill Valley is Marty McFly’s home in Back to the Future. Twin Peaks, Washington is David Lynch’s famous fictional town. Hawkins is The Duffer Brothers’ deliberately ordinary Midwestern setting — the flat, unassuming backdrop that makes Vecna’s horrors hit harder.
06
Netflix’s Regency romance juggernaut — based on Julia Quinn’s novels and famous for its colour-blind casting, string-quartet pop covers, and narrated gossip column — is produced by which prolific showrunner’s production banner?
✓ Correct! Shonda Rhimes — the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — produces Bridgerton through her Shondaland banner as the first major fruit of her massive 2017 Netflix deal. Chris Van Dusen created the show, but Shondaland’s signature ensemble-romance DNA is all over it. Julian Fellowes did Downton Abbey, Ryan Murphy did Monster/Dahmer, and Jenji Kohan did Orange Is the New Black.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland). Ryan Murphy produces true-crime anthologies like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Julian Fellowes is the Downton Abbey/Gilded Age creator — a different period drama entirely. Jenji Kohan is behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds. Bridgerton was the first big payoff of Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal.
07
La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) became a global phenomenon on Netflix after a modest Spanish TV debut — partly thanks to its gang’s instantly recognisable red jumpsuits paired with a mask of which famous figure?
✓ Correct! The Salvador Dalí mask — with its upturned moustache — became the show’s defining visual alongside the red jumpsuits, a nod to Spanish artistic rebellion and surrealist individuality. It inspired protest iconography worldwide, from Lebanon to France. The original Antena 3 version underperformed; Netflix acquired it in 2017, re-edited it, and turned it into a global sensation.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Salvador Dalí. Guy Fawkes is the V for Vendetta mask that Anonymous adopted. Che Guevara is a common revolutionary image but not the heist crew’s mask. Picasso is a frequent wrong answer given he’s the more globally-known Spanish artist — but the Dalí mask, with its iconic moustache, is the one fused forever with Money Heist’s red jumpsuits.
08
Netflix’s 2020 limited series about a Cold War-era chess prodigy named Beth Harmon caused a global surge in chess-set sales and was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows that year. Who played Beth?
✓ Correct! Anya Taylor-Joy — already a cult favourite from The Witch and Emma — broke out globally as Beth Harmon, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Queen’s Gambit pulled 62 million households in its first 28 days and caused such a chess-boom that Chess.com and retailers ran out of sets. It also made Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel a surprise bestseller almost 40 years later.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Anya Taylor-Joy. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Oppenheimer), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) are all frequent competitors in similar roles. Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon earned her a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and turned Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel into a sudden bestseller.
Credits Rolling · Autoplay On Your Binge-Watcher Rank
🎬
/ 8
Platinum subscriber — or still on the free trial?
As recently as last week, KPop Demon Hunters was Netflix's 9th most-watched movie worldwide, according to official Netflix data. Given how the supernatural fantasy movie continues to trend on Netflix, KPop Demon Hunters' upcoming 4K + Blu-ray special edition release on November 3 should prove itself quite successful. The move is also important for Netflix's future.
KPop Demon Hunters' 4K Blu-Ray Release Is Great For Fans
By trending for 61 weeks on Netflix and counting, it is clear that KPop Demon Hunters remains as popular as ever on the streaming service despite the fact that the animated movie was released on Netflix on June 20, 2025, over a year ago. As such, a 4K + Blu-ray special edition of KPop Demon Hunters makes a lot of sense. After all, this is the movie in Netflix's catalog that subscribers keep going back to, and with the state of streaming services nowadays, where projects can be removed and never to return, collecting physical media allows fans to hold on to their favorites.
KPop Demon Hunters is one of the rare Netflix movies to get a physical release from the Criterion Collection, set to join projects like The Irishman and Marriage Story. KPop Demon Hunters' physical release comes with a set of exciting bonus features for fans of the fantasy movie that expand on the experience provided on Netflix. A new making-of documentary, collectible postcards with original illustrations by artists who helped make KPop Demon Hunters a hit, and many more. Additionally, KPop Demon Hunters will become available on physical media a month before Christmas, giving plenty of time for fans to get their gift lists ready.
More Netflix Movies Deserve 4K Blu-Ray Releases
Zoey, Rumi, and Mira surrounded by demons in KPop Demon Hunters
Given how Netflix's business model is all about streaming, not that many hits from the studio have gotten the same treatment that KPop Demon Hunters is getting. That said, other Netflix movies that became global hits and/or were nominated for awards have also gotten physical releases through the Criterion Collection. Another Netflix movie to be landing a 4K + Blu-ray special edition in 2026 is Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, which will arrive on October 27, and will include an extended edition, The Reborn Cut, which adds 8 new minutes of footage, among its special features.
As for Netflix series, a few popular originals, like Stranger Things, Wednesday, and The Crown, have also gotten physical releases over the years, though not from the Criterion Collection. That said, when taking a look at Netflix's expansive library of content, the number of releases from the streaming service to be available physically is but a drop in the ocean. Hopefully, KPop Demon Hunters' physical sales are so high, as it is Netflix's most popular movie ever, to push the streaming service to start looking with more love for the physical medium going forward.
Release Date
June 20, 2025
Runtime
96 minutes
Director
Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang
Writers
Hannah McMechan, Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang, Danya Jimenez