Sony Animation bosses defend decision to release KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix: "It needed time, which you do not get theatrically"

News
By published

The film is now nominated for two Academy Awards

Huntrix performing in KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix
(Image credit: Netflix)

Would KPop Demon Hunters be the huge success it is without Netflix? Probably not, according to Sony Pictures Animation presidents Kristine Belson and Damien de Froberville.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the pair defended their decision to release the animated film on the streamer instead of theatres, arguing that "it needed time" to reach viewers. "One million percent, it had to be on Netflix," said Belson. "It was the perfect storm of that movie coming together with the power of that platform."

According to the co-president of the studio, with Netflix releases, there are three "check-ins" – three days, 10 days and 28 days after release. During the first couple of weeks, things were going moderately well, but then it blew up. "Normally you wouldn’t have heard from them again between the 10-day and the 28-day. But then we got a call from Hannah Minghella [Head of Feature Animation and Family Film at Netflix] on day 14 or something. 'Something is going on here.' So, it needed time, which you do not get theatrically," Belson explained.

Mireia Mullor
Mireia Mullor
Contributing Writer

Mireia is a UK-based culture journalist and critic. She previously worked as Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and her work as a freelance writer has appeared in WeLoveCinema and Spanish magazines Fotogramas, Esquire, and Elle. She is also a published author, having written a book about Studio Ghibli's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' in 2023. Talking about anime and musicals is the best way to grab her attention.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.