The success of KPop Demon Hunters was unprecedented. It went from a small animated film that appeared on Netflix to the streamer’s most popular movie ever, with sequels and spinoffs in the works and almost certainly an Oscar on the way. Plus, it was even a hit in theaters, making tens of millions of dollars in only a few short days. All of which made Hollywood wonder, did Sony, which licensed the film to Netflix, make a mistake by not just releasing it itself?

In a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures Animation presidents Kristine Belson and Damien de Froberville said they have looked at the numbers and concluded, “One million percent,” that KPop Demon Hunters was only that big of a hit because it was on Netflix.

“One million percent, it had to be on Netflix,” Belson said when asked if Sony had gamed out the film’s theatrical prospects versus streaming. “It was the perfect storm of that movie coming together with the power of that platform.”

Belson explained that when you have a film on Netflix, the company checks in with you about how it’s doing. The first check-in is after three days, then 10 days, then 28 days. “The three-day call was like, ‘Yeah, it’s OK,’” de Froberville said. “The 10-day call: ‘Yeah, it’s OK. It’s starting to look interesting, especially on the rewatch.’”

“And then normally you wouldn’t have heard from them again between the 10-day and the 28-day,” Belson continued. “But then we got a call from [Netflix’s Head of Feature Animation and Family Film] Hannah Minghella on day 14 or something. ‘Something is going on here.’ So, it needed time, which you do not get theatrically.”

It’s the kind of success everyone involved wants to continue. And despite reports that a sequel will be out in 2029, Belson reportedly “placed her pointer finger to her nose” when questioned about that release date being a little ambitious, considering how slowly animation happens. So, don’t hold your breath just yet.

It’s a fascinating interview that talks about the new movie GOAT as well as Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Read it here.

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