KPop Demon Hunters has secured the No. 4 spot on Netflix with 158.8 million views, sparking rumors of a sequel.
While it was previously speculated that a live-action version of the film was set to be released, The Hollywood Reporter reported Tuesday that Netflix has no plans for that film currently.
Why It Matters
KPop Demon Hunters follows Huntrix, a group of three who fight monsters from the underworld. The film was a hit, and its soundtrack has spent multiple weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart.
Due to its large but somewhat unanticipated appeal, some fans are wondering whether a sequel will be in the works.
What To Know
‘KPop Demon Hunters’: Will There Be a Sequel?
The success of KPop Demon Hunter exceeded Netflix’s initial expectations for its target demographic.
Even real-life K-pop artists have joined the craze. Zerobaseone recreated the movie’s fictional group Saja Boys online, and BTS member Jungkook talked about watching the movie on a livestream.
“I think it’s going to be part of our lives for a bit. I don’t see the fandom slowing down. We hit an all-time high in viewership in week five, which is absolutely insane,” KPop Demon Hunters co-director Maggie Kang told The Hollywood Reporter.
Despite the success, Netflix has no current plans to produce a live-action version of the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Newsweek reached out to Netflix for comment via email.
When Could the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Sequel Come Out?
While there are currently no official plans for a sequel, any further developments could take a significant amount of time to reach fans.
Dan Lin, chairman of Netflix Films, said Netflix was “excited to explore what could be the next adventure for Huntrix.”
“KPDH’s success comes from its original, fresh story so if we do embark on a sequel, we would want to take our time to make sure that any future stories we tell with our favorite demon hunters retains the flair and uniqueness of the first film,” Lin said in a statement to Newsweek.
Is ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Coming to Theaters?
KPop Demon Hunters is set to have a sing-along run in select theaters in the United States and Canada on Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24.
Netflix previously stated tickets will go on sale Wednesday, August 13, at 9 a.m. ET. Find out if a theater near you is showing the film here.
How Old Is Rumi in ‘KPop Demon Hunters’?
KPop Demon Hunters centers on three best friends: Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo).
Kang previously confirmed on an AMA session on Reddit that Rumi and Mira are around age 23 or 24, with Rumi maybe being slightly older. Zoey is the youngest of the group, at age 22 or 23.
What People Are Saying
Dan Lin, chairman of Netflix Film, told The Hollywood Reporter: “We knew younger female audiences and K-pop [and] anime fans would love this film, but it’s been incredibly gratifying to see it embraced by an even broader audience and become a favorite film for both adults and kids. Adults are watching the movie with their friends or other family members, kids are watching with their friends and siblings.”
KPop Demon Hunters co-director Maggie Kang told The Hollywood Reporter: “I think we just all wanted to prove everybody wrong, but everybody that came on board just really believed in it. We found the heart of the movie really quickly.”
What Happens Next
Lin told The Hollywood Reporter that Netflix is constantly “looking for powerful new stories, refreshing new voices and daring new approaches” in their films.
“KPDH is a perfect example of this approach,” Lin said.
“Netflix allows our films to build their audience organically and over time. As word of mouth spread and social media caught on, we saw viewing really take off and the movie became a cultural phenomenon — it’s one of the only films to grow its audiences in its fifth and six weeks of release.”
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