'K-Pop Demon Hunters' has surpassed 'Squid Game' Season 1 to set the all-time record for Netflix viewership, raising expectations about whether it will become the first to exceed the cumulative view count of '300 million'.
On the 3rd, Netflix's official site, Tudum, reported that the animated film 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' (abbreviated as 'KDH') recorded a cumulative view count of 266 million. It is the most-watched content of all films and shows on Netflix in the region.
The previous record for cumulative view count on Netflix was held by 'Squid Game' Season 1. Released in 2021, the first season of 'Squid Game' recorded a cumulative view count of 265.2 million, creating a global phenomenon. The following year, Tim Burton's first series 'Wednesday' Season 1 garnered 252.1 million views, following closely behind. Next was 'Red Notice,' which had previously held the record for Netflix films, with a cumulative view count of 230.9 million in 2021.
During the pandemic caused by COVID-19, the OTT market experienced explosive growth worldwide, effectively restructuring around Netflix. While the company solidified its position as the industry leader, there were also opinions suggesting that Netflix's growth has plateaued.
In reality, since the declaration of the COVID-19 endemic in 2023, the focus of cultural phenomena has shifted back to offline, resulting in a slowdown in the growth of online-viewing-oriented OTT content. For instance, while the first season of 'Squid Game' had a cumulative view count of over 200 million, the much-anticipated subsequent seasons saw 'Squid Game' Season 2 with 192.6 million and 'Squid Game' Season 3 with 143.4 million.
In March, the Netflix limited series 'Boys' Time,' which enjoyed unexpected popularity, recorded a cumulative view count of 142.6 million. In fact, since the endemic, Netflix has not managed to break the '200 million' wall for cumulative views across both films and series.
In this context, 'KDH' has recorded a cumulative view count of 266 million, rising to the top position overall for films and shows (based on single seasons). What's more noteworthy is the final score of 'KDH.'
Thus far, Tudum has compared the cumulative view counts over 91 days following a Netflix release to tally the most-watched movies and shows by users. 'KDH,' which was released on June 20, still has about two weeks of counting period left. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether 'KDH' will set a record by becoming the first Netflix title to surpass the cumulative view count of '300 million.'
'KDH' is an animated film depicting the story of the K-Pop idol group HuntRix fighting demons to protect the world with the power of music. Not only is it ranked first on Netflix, but the OSTs of 'KDH' are sweeping various music charts, including Billboard, with 'Golden' holding the top spot on Billboard's main singles chart Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks.
[Photo] Provided by Netflix.
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