'KPop Demon Hunters' Could Surpass Dwayne Johnson's 'Red Notice' on Netflix

Released in 2021, the Dwayne Johnson-led globe-trotting epic Red Notice has long held the record for Netflix‘s most-streamed title. This popularity can be attributed to a few factors. First and foremost, the star power of Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot was an almost immediate guarantee of the film’s success. Yet, what is often understated is the movie’s release during the COVID-19 lockdown at the height of demand for online/streaming entertainment. These factors led to Red Notice amassing 454 million hours of views to date, meaning the movie has been viewed approximately 233 million times on the platform.

Yet, after many years, there is finally a new contender to do the unthinkable and pick up ‘The Rock’ and push him into second place: KPop Demon Hunters. The Sony animated film is now standing in second place with a reported 184.6 million views and remains in Netflix’s top 10 rankings; it seems only a matter of time before it overtakes Red Notice.

‘Red Notice’ Deserves To Be Booted From the Top

Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot in 'Red Notice' (2021)

With a bloated budget of $200 million and a check-marked list of every cliché in the heist genre, Red Notice certainly delivered an entertaining piece of escapism during COVID-19, but let’s not pretend it is a masterpiece deserving of so many views. The movie leans heavily on its star power, using Johnson, Reynolds, and Gadot to dangle keys in front of the viewers to string them along a generic, cookie-cutter plot. Moreover, the massive budget is not reflected in the final product; the cinematography, excessive CGI, and effects feel underwhelming.

This is not to shame those who liked it. A nice piece of escapism is always lovely and deserves a degree of admiration. Still, Red Notice, even among the action/heist genre, is far from the best on offer; some people liked the movie, but you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who quotes it as their favorite. Comparatively, KPop Demon Hunters has certainly become the favorite of many, but there is much more to it than that that makes it the deserved number one spot.

Love It or Hate It, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Deserves To be the Most Streamed Title on Netflix

Three characters in KPop Demon Hunters eating ramen

The appeal of KPop Demon Hunters has been broad, with mature audiences coming to it through an appreciation of the music, animation, and its use of Korean culture as an impactful storytelling device. In addition to an adult audience, the show has been popular among younger fans; my niece has added dozens of watches, and this sentiment is shared online in many posts celebrating the movie’s rise in popularity among younger fans.

Beyond popularity alone, KPop Demon Hunters is everything that Red Notice is not: original, inventive, and made with passion instead of crunching numbers and delivering a formulaic action outing. KPop Demon Hunters certainly is not an indie or an outsider hit, with Sony Animation having a lot of money and acclaim. Still, it represents the sort of enduring movie magic that resonates with fans both young and old. As a measure of Netflix’s success as a streaming platform, KPop Demon Hunters is a better representation of the platform’s dedication to bringing in a wide array of projects from unique creatives around the globe, better than the soulless action spectacle that is Red Notice.

KPop Demon Hunters has yet to surpass Red Notice, but it only seems a matter of time, especially with the talks about a sequel to Red Notice remaining stagnant, while talks of sequels to KPop Demon Hunters ramp up. The Sony Animation film is also heading to theaters, with sing-along versions planned; it is emerging as one of the biggest new franchises to date, while Red Notice is becoming a forgotten relic, as it should. To KPop Demon Hunters‘ continued success! Not because I adore the film, but because it has better optics and, for the industry as a whole, deserves to stand tall as Netflix’s most-streamed film. Both Red Notice and KPop Demon Hunters are currently streaming on Netflix.