Sony and Netflix in Early Talks for "KPop Demon Hunters" Sequel

Sony and Netflix are in early talks for a “KPop Demon Hunters” sequel, following up on the animated musical that became a streaming mega-hit over the summer.

On Tuesday, “KPop Demon Hunters” overtook “Red Notice” on Netflix’s all-time charts, becoming the most-watched film in the service’s history at more than 236 million total views. Moreover, the film’s original soundtrack also notched four songs on the Billboard Top 10 simultaneously — the first time that has ever happened in the history of the Hot 100.

The “KPop Demon Hunters” phenomenon became such a supernova that it even prompted Netflix to break from its theatrical-averse strategy to give the animated movie a sing-along release in more than 1,700 North American theaters. Even with only two days of special screenings, “KPop Demon Hunters” topped the US box office in the penultimate weekend of August, outgrossing studio summer holdovers like “Weapons” and “Freakier Friday.”

Netflix is continuing to seek ways to capitalize on the runaway success of the feature, which was produced by Sony under the studio’s licensing deal with the streamer. (To note: “KPop Demon Hunters” was the first film made under the first-look deal for movies Sony intends to make for streaming.) 

As the giant stream prepares to launch in-person shopping destinations in both Philadelphia and Dallas ahead of the holiday season, the company has been constructing “KPop Demon Hunters” experiences on site — a remarkable fast-tracking decision, as layouts for the stores have already been in the works for years.

In an interview with Variety, “KPop Demon Hunters” co-director Maggie Kang — who helmed the project with Chris Appelhans — stirred hopes for a sequel, particularly in going beyond Huntr/x’s lead vocalist Rumi to expand on the histories of her fellow bandmembers Zoey and Mira.

“We’ve set up so much for potential backstory. Obviously, there are a lot of questions that are left unanswered and areas that are not explored, and we had to do that because there’s only so much movie you could tell in 85 minutes,” Kang noted. “This was Rumi’s story, and we have backstories for Zoey and Mira – ones that we actually put in the movie, but it just kind of rejected it. It just wasn’t the movie for those stories.”