Netflix once said its theater strategy hadn’t changed. Now ‘KPop Demon Hunters 2’ is going global

A sequel gets a different first stop

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos says KPop Demon Hunters 2 will receive a “very broad theatrical release,” a sharp departure from the streaming-first launch of the original. He made the promise at Bloomberg Screentime in Los Angeles on Sept. 30, while describing Netflix’s newer approach of matching a film’s release to its audience. bloomberg +1

The wording signals a large cinema rollout, but leaves its mechanics open: Sarandos did not specify a release date, number of theaters or length of the theatrical window. Deadline reported the sequel is expected in 2029; Netflix’s announcement of the film confirmed returning directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans but set no date. deadline +1

Fans already carried the first film into cinemas

Deadline reported the original reached 325.1 million views in its first 90 days on Netflix; the company later said it had passed 500 million views since its June 2025 debut. That scale gives the sequel a built-in audience, though streaming views alone do not guarantee ticket sales. deadline +1

The first film’s two-day sing-along event offered a more direct test. Released on Netflix in June, it reached theaters in a sing-along edition two months later, not as a first-run cinema title. The Hollywood Reporter put early estimated North American ticket sales at $17 million to $18 million from 1,700 theaters; Deadline later reported a $19 million estimate. Those are industry estimates rather than an official Netflix tally: the company does not report box-office grosses. The special screenings were a short event—not a conventional nationwide theatrical run. deadline +1

The promise is sequel-specific, not a blanket reversal

A year earlier, after the sing-along event, Sarandos said Netflix’s strategy remained to give subscribers exclusive first-run movies on the service. He argued the original’s theater success followed its streaming debut, rather than proving that theatrical distribution should come first. deadline

His new promise is more specific than a general reversal: Netflix is tailoring rollouts to audiences, and Sarandos cited broad theatrical plans for other family titles, including Narnia and Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory. TheWrap reported he described the approach as serving moviegoers without harming Netflix’s value. The KPop sequel is described as broad and global, but Netflix has not announced a date, theater count or theatrical window. thewrap +1