iWorld
KPop Demon Hunters tops 1 billion viewing hours on Netflix
Ampere flags long-tail power of family content as Netflix trims commissions
MUMBAI: A cartoon has done what most blockbusters cannot. KPop Demon Hunters has smashed through 1bn viewing hours on Netflix, becoming the platform’s most-watched film ever and the most popular movie on subscription streaming in 2025, according to Ampere Analysis.
The result lands like a flare in a market that has been cooling on family fare. As a family-friendly original, the film has muscled into territory long dominated by franchise machines at Disney and NBCUniversal. More strikingly, it has achieved a cultural reach usually reserved for tentpole series such as Squid Game and Stranger Things.
Ampere’s data suggests the genre plays a different game. Hit children and family titles age slowly and travel far. KPop Demon Hunters peaked in its eleventh week after release. By contrast, the top 20 most-viewed Netflix original films typically spike in week one or two before fading fast.
That endurance comes as Netflix pares back. Children and family titles made up 4 per cent of its commissions in 2024-2025, down from 9 per cent in 2022-2023. The pullback mirrors a wider shift across SVoD. Scripted children and family commissions account for just 13 per cent globally in 2025, versus 47 per cent for public broadcasters. The tilt towards ad-supported tiers, where monetising children’s content is tricky, and the gravitational pull of YouTube are both biting.
Yet the demand signal is stubborn. Among households with children, 35 per cent cite access to kids’ shows and films as a key reason to subscribe, according to Ampere’s Q3 2025 media consumer data. Engagement remains hefty too. In H2 2025, the genre generated 4.4bn views on Netflix, second only to crime and thriller.
“The film’s musical core extended its reach beyond the platform and encouraged repeat viewing,” said Joe Hall, research manager at Ampere Analysis. “Its themes, grounded in the global Korean cultural wave, helped build a highly engaged international fan base. With a sequel already announced, KPop Demon Hunters shows there is still a lot of value in developing original IP that appeals across age demographics.”
Netflix is already doubling down. A sequel is in the works, with creators Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans returning. A release is pencilled in for 2029.
The message is awkward and hard to ignore. Family content is harder to monetise, slower to peak and easier to underestimate. But when it lands, it sticks, travels and compounds. In a streaming race hooked on instant hits, KPop Demon Hunters has delivered something rarer: stamina.
