‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Dominates 2025’s Second Half Film Scene
The film industry is experiencing a notable shift with the rise of “KPop Demon Hunters,” which is redefining viewer engagement on Netflix. Released in mid-2025, this animated feature has shattered records, now standing as the most-watched title in Netflix’s history for a single six-month period.
KPop Demon Hunters: A Record-Breaking Hit
“KPop Demon Hunters” premiered on June 20, 2025, and achieved astonishing success in the latter half of the year. Accumulating an extraordinary 481.6 million views worldwide between July and December, this title has outperformed all previous records on the platform.
Comparison with Previous Titles
- KPop Demon Hunters: 481.6 million views
- Back in Action: 164.7 million views (first half of 2025)
- Carry-On: 137.3 million views (second half of 2024)
- Damsel: 143.8 million views (first half of 2024)
Notably, “KPop Demon Hunters” surpassed the combined view count of these previous three leading titles by 35.8 million views, solidifying its status as a cultural phenomenon.
Impact on Netflix Rankings
This animated feature garnered more than three and a half times the views of “Happy Gilmore 2,” which ranked second during the same period with significantly lower numbers. Furthermore, it has maintained a strong presence in Netflix’s top ten charts for an impressive 31 weeks.
Decades of Engagement: Audience Metrics
By early 2026, “KPop Demon Hunters” had surpassed 540 million views. Its performance in the U.S. was equally impressive, achieving a dominant position in Nielsen’s streaming rankings with a 26-week run ending on December 15, 2025.
Views and Trends in Series Content
On the series front, “Wednesday” emerged as a major competitor, attracting 123.5 million views in the second half of 2025. This surpassed “Stranger Things 5,” which logged 93.5 million views since its debut on November 26, 2025.
Overall Viewing Trends on Netflix
The second half of 2025 saw a total of 96 billion hours of content viewed across Netflix, marking a 2 percent increase compared to the previous year. Subscriber growth was robust at about 8 percent, reflecting the platform’s ongoing popularity and engagement.
Conclusion
With “KPop Demon Hunters” at the forefront, the latter half of 2025 has set unprecedented benchmarks for viewer engagement on Netflix. This trend underscores the evolving nature of entertainment consumption, with animated content emerging as a formidable force in the industry.
