This weekend is going to completely upend Netflix and crown a new flagship franchise for the streaming service to usurp Stranger Things. For years now, a few shows have led Netflix’s catalog in terms of popularity. Some shows will often get big for a few weeks, like The Hunting Wives, but they don’t begin entire franchises of their own. Shows like Stranger Things and Squid Game, however, have become cultural phenomena.
But, Squid Game season 3’s ending marked the end of the show, and Stranger Things season 5 will be its last installment. Ongoing shows like Wednesday are still big players, but there will soon be a huge power vacuum at Netflix. After this weekend, however, Netflix may be ready to declare its new flagship franchise, and it may be ready to assert its dominance over the streamer.
KPop Demon Hunters’ Return To Theaters Confirms It As Netflix’s New Crown Jewel
Netflix’s mega-hit animated movie KPop Demon Hunters could be the streamer’s new big franchise to replace Stranger Things and Squid Game. The film easily became Netflix’s most popular movie ever (via Tudum) and spent at least nine consecutive weeks at the top spot of the streamer’s top 10 list. Netflix’s next move with KPop Demon Hunters, however, could solidify its standing.
A sing-along version of KPop Demon Hunters went to theaters back in August. Now, due to popular demand, KPop Demon Hunters: A Singalong Event is back in theaters for Halloween weekend, from October 31 to November 2. Netflix rarely puts its movies in theaters, but it also plans to put the finale of Stranger Things season 5 in theaters.
The fact that KPop Demon Hunters is getting a rare wide theatrical release is proof that it’s Netflix’s new crown jewel. This movie is the definition of a sensation, and Netflix is already in talks to make KPop Demon Hunters 2. Netflix has a lot of well-placed faith in this franchise, and it’s extremely easy to imagine it getting several sequels and potentially even spinoffs.
KPop Demon Hunters Is Dominating Halloween – And This Is Just The Beginning
KPop Demon Hunters isn’t just a financial success that Netflix is banking on, however, it’s also a cultural phenomenon. For proof of that fact, look no further than Halloween. According to USA Today, the three main characters of KPop Demon Hunters are all in the top five most searched costumes for kids, with Rumi taking the top spot overall.
This Halloween is also just the start of KPop Demon Hunters‘ dominance. Currently, Netflix hasn’t released any toys tied to the franchise, but that’s soon to change. Netflix is teaming up with Mattel and Hasbro to release KPop Demon Hunters toys in 2026, and they’re almost guaranteed to be a hit. This is the same strategy Star Wars used to become a cultural icon more than 40 years ago.
It’s really hard to overstate just how important merchandising KPop Demon Hunters through toys will be. The movie is already a smash hit with kids, and having physical toys to play with will almost guarantee that it stays in the cultural zeitgeist. Children will grow up playing with Rumi, Zoey, and Mira the same way kids in the 1980s grew up playing with Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, and we all know how effective that strategy proved to be at keeping Star Wars relevant.
Netflix’s Stranger Things Replacement Is Now Obvious
All of these elements – KPop Demon Hunters’ wide theatrical release, its domination at Halloween, and its upcoming line of merchandise – make one thing exceedingly clear. KPop Demon Hunters is Netflix’s replacement for Stranger Things. They’re obviously different franchises, but KPop Demon Hunters will become the massive cash cow and sign of Netflix’s cultural dominance that Stranger Things currently is.
For years, Stranger Things was the defining franchise on the streaming service. There are countless brand partnerships, merchandising efforts, and even crossovers with games like Fortnite that made Stranger Things hugely popular and hugely profitable. KPop Demon Hunters is already in the process of replicating all those things for itself, and the strategy should prove successful again.
|
Netflix’s Most Watched Originals (via Tudum) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Title |
Format |
Views (millions) |
Hours Watched |
|
KPop Demon Hunters |
Movie |
325.1 |
541,800,000 |
|
Red Notice |
Movie |
230.9 |
454,200,000 |
|
Wednesday S1 |
Show |
252.1 |
1,718,800,000 |
|
Squid Game S1 |
Show |
265.2 |
2,205,200,000 |
Netflix’s search for a new flagship that it can heavily market, merchandise, and build a fresh new brand off of is already over. KPop Demon Hunters already appeals to children much more than Stranger Things does, but it’s also quite popular with teens and adults. It may even be more profitable; the budget for KPop Demon Hunters was about $100 million, while Stranger Things season 5 is the most expensive show ever, coming in at around $50 million per episode.
It’s not entirely clear what the future holds for KPop Demon Hunters, but it is clear that the future is bright. Once the sing-along theatrical release concludes this weekend, KPop Demon Hunters is going to be the new top dog at Netflix. The entire power balance of Netflix‘s catalog and its popularity is going to shift, and it’s an exciting time to see what happens next for KPop Demon Hunters.
- Release Date
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June 20, 2025
- Runtime
-
96 minutes
- Director
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Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang
- Writers
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Hannah McMechan, Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang, Danya Jimenez
