Los Angeles, California – Netflix’s monster animated hit KPop Demon Hunters ruled the North American box office with a special singalong movie event, raking in $18 million in a first victory in theaters for the streaming giant, industry estimates showed Sunday.
Netflix refuses to report ticket sales data, so the amount is based on projections from rival studios and exhibitors, but it is a huge showing for the famously cinema-averse streamer, whose film has already topped music charts and smashed viewing records.
Released in June, KPop Demon Hunters is already Netflix’s most-watched animated offering.
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The weekend sing-alongs at theaters in five countries were expected to draw legions of fans ready to watch the tale of a Kpop girl group that protects the world from demons with their music – and belt out the movie’s catchy bangers.
“This weekend, a streaming production made for viewing at home is connecting on a level that theatrical hits rarely reach,” said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.
“For 48 hours, this made-for-television film is playing to sold-out audiences who are singing, dancing, dressing up, and losing themselves in the fun. That’s pop entertainment at its best.”
Buzzy horror film Weapons – which topped the box office for the last two weeks – will likely be the official winner again this week, given Netflix’s refusal to release official figures.
The Warner Bros. movie – which tells the story of the mysterious disappearance of a group of children from the same school class – made $15.6 million from Friday to Sunday, Exhibitor Relations reported.
In third place was Disney’s Freakier Friday starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, the much-anticipated sequel to the 2003 body-swapping family film, at $9.2 million.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Disney’s reboot of the Marvel Comics franchise, held in fourth place at $5.9 million.
And in fifth place was Universal’s family-friendly animation sequel The Bad Guys 2, about a squad of goofy animal criminals actually doing good in their rebranded lives, earning $5.1 million.
