Netflix Shocks the Box Office With "KPop Demon Hunters"

After 18 years of operation, Netflix seems to have its first movie to top the North American box office, thanks to the craze called “KPop Demon Hunters” .

However, because the company maintains a policy of not releasing ticket sales, the top spot on the North American box office chart last weekend went to the horror film “Weapons.”

Rival studios estimated on Aug. 24 that “K-Pop Demon Hunters” led all weekend releases with ticket sales of $16 million to $18 million. Distribution executives from three studios shared their estimates of the Netflix phenomenon, which does not release ticket sales.

After a few weeks of dominating the streaming platform, becoming one of Netflix's most-watched films, the company surprised everyone by releasing "KPop Demon Hunters" in 1,750 theaters on the weekend of August 23-24 in a special "sing-along" format - encouraging audiences to sing along to the soundtrack.

News outlets were able to accurately estimate ticket sales for all films as of the morning of August 24, but the unusual nature of the release of "KPop Demon Hunters" caused estimates to have a wide margin of error, with some predictions as high as $20 million.

It's a huge win for "KPop Demon Hunters," which is set to be Hollywood's biggest hit this summer, and a success for Netflix, which has changed the film industry by focusing on streaming instead of theatrical releases. The film was originally developed by Sony Pictures and then sold to Netflix.

The film revolves around the famous KPop girl group Huntr/x, consisting of 3 members: Rumi, Mira and Zooey - who are both idol stars and demon hunters. They must protect their fans and confront their most dangerous opponent: a rival boy band - who are actually demons in human form.

The film, directed by Korean-American filmmaker Maggie Kang and co-directed by Chris Appelhans, was released on June 20 and quickly topped Netflix's global charts.

According to data from FlixPatrol, “Kpop Demon Hunters” is currently one of the most-watched titles on Netflix worldwide , reaching No. 1 on Netflix in 26 countries, topping 93 charts. Viewership is especially high not only in Asia but also in the United States, France, and Germany.

Returning to the North American box office charts, the blockbuster horror film "Weapons" remains a strong performer after three weeks in theaters, bringing in $15.6 million domestically. The hit has proven its staying power, grossing more than $100 million globally since its release.

Meanwhile, Disney’s “Freakier Friday” again trailed “Weapons,” with $9.2 million in North American theaters. Both films were “real bright spots” as the box office enters a “relatively quiet end to the summer,” said senior media analyst at data firm Comscore. Both films, which opened simultaneously earlier this month, fell just 36% from last weekend.

Coming in third is "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" with $5.9 million after five weeks in theaters. The film had a strong debut with $118 million but has since seen its box office decline. The top films at North American theaters this past weekend:

1. “Weapons” - $15.6 million.
2. “Freakier Friday” - 9.2 million USD.
3. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” - 5.9 million USD.
4. “The Bad Guys 2" - $5.1 million.
5. “Nobody 2" - $3.7 million.
6. “Superman" - $3.4 million.
7. “Honey Don't!" - $3 million.
8. “The Naked Gun” - $3 million.
9. “Jurassic World Rebirth" - 2.1 million USD.
10. “Relay” - 2 million USD./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/netflix-gay-chan-dong-phong-ve-voi-kpop-demon-hunters-post1057780.vnp