Just as the summer movie season is slowing down, with distributors worried totals ($3.4 billion so far, up 2% year-on-year) may break even or under 2024, comes a hero. Well, three heroes. And they’re singing a different tune.
Ahead of Netflix’s rare theatrical release of the music-driven animated sensations KPop Demon Hunters, which will screen in approximately 1,700 venues as a special Sing-Along Event on Saturday and Sunday only, box-office watchers are expecting the streaming hit to rule the charts for this brief window with an estimated $15 million-plus take. The limited engagement has sold out 1,100 screenings, and will be playing to a total of 3.4 million seats.
It will be hard to track exactly how well KPop does as a two-day event, especially since Netflix does not usually report its box-office grosses, nor post them to ComScore.
KPop Demon Hunters is directed by Maggie Kang (head of story, The LEGO Ninjago Movie) and Chris Appelhans (Wish Dragon) and produced by Sony Pictures Animation. The voice cast is led by Arden Cho (Rumi), May Hong (Mira) and Ji-young Yoo (Zoey) voicing heroic trio HUNTR/X — Kpop superstars who use their secret identities as demon hunters to protect their fans from supernatural foes — and Ahn Hyo-seop as Jinu, the leader of the devilishly irresistible boy band, Saja Boys. Ian Eisendrath as executive music producer.
In addition to being the No. ! animated film of all time and the No. 2 movie of all time on Netflix, having rocked streaming charts and maintained consistent viewership (~26M weekly) for nine straight weeks on the platform, the fictional music groups of KPop Demon Hunters have ruled Billboard charts this summer, with HUNTR/X’s “Golden” hitting No. 1.
KPop Demon Hunter‘s main competition this weekend is Weapons, the live-action mystery horror from Zach Cregger (Barbarian), which is expected to reach $100M at the domestic box office by today. The pic is expected to come in at No. 2 on the weekend charts with $13.5M.
[Source: Deadline]
