'KPop Demon Hunters 2' Is Officially Getting a Massive Global Theatrical Release

The biggest movie Netflix has ever released is about to become a theatrical event. Speaking at Bloomberg's Screentime conference this week, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos confirmed that KPop Demon Hunters 2 — the sequel to the animated phenomenon — will receive a big, broad, global theatrical release before it lands on the streamer. For a company long defined by streaming-first releases, it is a genuine strategy shift.

The numbers explain why. The original KPop Demon Hunters amassed 325.1 million views in its first 90 days, making it the most-watched Netflix original film in history, and it spent 63 consecutive weeks in the platform's Global Top 10. Even its theatrical appetizer proved the appetite: a singalong version released for a handful of non-consecutive days grossed over $24 million domestically and even hit No. 1 at the North American box office, toppling the horror hit Weapons after two weekends on top.

Bigger scale, returning directors

The sequel is targeting a 2029 release, with returning co-writers and directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans back on board. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix, the original followed Rumi, Mira and Zoey — the K-pop girl group Huntr/x — as they moonlighted as demon hunters protecting their fans from supernatural threats, including their biggest enemies yet: the Saja Boys, a rival boy band of demons in disguise. Sarandos has promised the follow-up will be larger in scale and more eventful, with new musical elements in the mix.

The announcement landed as part of a broader conversation about Netflix's evolving theatrical philosophy. Sarandos framed the question the company now asks of every major film: how do you serve movie lovers who want the theatrical experience without harming the value to Netflix? The answer, increasingly, is a real theatrical window for the biggest titles.

Netflix's theatrical era

KPop Demon Hunters 2 will not be alone on the marquee. Sarandos also confirmed a big wide release for Greta Gerwig's Narnia next year and an animated Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory at the end of the year. La Bola Negra is getting a full 45-day run — the longest Netflix has ever given a film — and The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, written by Quentin Tarantino, directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, will become the first Netflix film to get an IMAX release this November.

The message is unmistakable. Netflix spent a decade teaching audiences to stay home. Now it is betting its biggest hits play even bigger on the big screen — and KPop Demon Hunters 2 is the crown jewel of that bet.