‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Sequel Will Hit Theaters Before It Streams, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos Says

KPop Demon Hunters has been streamed more than 325 million times on Netflix, and its sequel is going to the movies first. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos confirmed at an event on Wednesday (Sept. 30) that some of the company’s biggest films, the sequel included, will get “a very broad theatrical release” before they reach the service, NME reported.

There’s no release date, and NME says it’s unlikely to be ready before 2030. The sequel was confirmed last November, and plot details are being kept under wraps. Sarandos explained the logic behind the change, via TheWrap.

What we’re doing is looking at this model and saying, ‘Okay, how do we serve movie lovers who may want to see this movie in a theatre.’ How do we not harm value to Netflix and how do we position the film best in the world?

Ted Sarandos, TheWrap, via NME

He also argued that a theatrical run builds the audience a film needs. “The most passionate audience went to see it in the theatre, so by the time it comes to Netflix, you’ve lost that passionate audience,” Sarandos said.

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Hear “Golden” from the first film below.

“Golden” Official Lyric Video | KPop Demon HuntersSony Pictures Animation · Watch on YouTube ↗

Netflix’s theater year

The sequel is part of a bigger change. The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, Fincher’s follow-up to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, will be the first Netflix film to get an IMAX launch. It plays IMAX screens from Nov. 25 and reaches Netflix on Dec. 23, per NME. Greta Gerwig’s Narnia and an animated Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are confirmed for cinemas next year, and the Spanish drama La Bola Negra is already getting a long theatrical window.

For how the first film’s hit changed the Academy’s song race, see our Best Original Song explainer. Creator Maggie Kang says a live-action version is unlikely: “There are so many elements of the tone and the comedy that are so suited for animation.”

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