Hunter/x is coming back to a theater near you.
Netflix is bringing KPop Demon Hunters, an animated fantasy adventure about a fictional K-pop girl group who uses music to protect the world from demons, to the big screen for a Halloween-themed sing-along screening. The film will be shown at all three major U.S. theater chains (AMC, Regal, Cinemark) and select theaters from October 31st to November 2nd. That’s important because the country’s top circuit is usually loathe to program Netflix movies that hate theaters.
To that end, it’s also worth noting that Netflix is re-releasing its most popular movies in theaters. For exhibitors, this should be an added boon amid weak box office sales in October. Currently, the only films scheduled for release around Halloween are Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone’s twisted thriller Bugonia and the re-release of Twilight.
“KPop Demon Hunters” topped the box office in late August, generating an impressive estimated $18 million when the sing-along version first opened in theaters for two days. It was unusual for Netflix to plan to show “KPop Demon Hunters” on the big screen in the first place. Not only is the company not prioritizing a theatrical release, but the film debuted on the streaming platform about two months ago. But since June, “KPop Demon Hunters” has become Netflix’s most popular release in history, and three of its original songs, “Golden,” “Your Idol” and “Soda Pop” are mainstays on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Theatrical events help bring fans back to the platform for rewatches and upcoming sequels.
AMC Theaters, the world’s largest theater, was the only major chain not to screen the film for the first time. Currently, “KPop Demon Hunters” is scheduled to be shown at approximately 400 AMC locations in the United States and Europe. And AMC appears to be softening its stance on Netflix, meaning this may not be the last collaboration between the world’s largest theater chain and biggest streaming platform. (AMC released “The Glass Onion: Knives Out Mystery” in 2022, but has otherwise avoided scheduling releases on Netflix because the companies have not agreed on how long the movie should be released exclusively in theaters.)
“While the companies have not had a commercial relationship in recent years, both Netflix and AMC are interested in the mutually beneficial opportunities that may arise from this and future collaborations,” an AMC Theaters spokesperson said in a statement. “Discussions are ongoing as to what that entails, but no further details have been shared at this time.”
