KPop Demon Hunters Sets Netflix Record as Creator Teases Live-Action Movie
KPop Demon Hunter is 2025’s breakout juggernaut, blitzing charts and the box office, and the Netflix original’s creator Maggie Kang told the BBC a live-action adaptation is in the works.
KPop Demon Hunters has been one of those 2025 curveballs that actually lands. It is a Netflix movie, it still played in theaters, it racked up box office, and now it is aiming at Oscars. And in the middle of all that, the creator just shut down the idea of a live-action version and drew a line on the whole 'is it anime?' debate.
No live-action remake. Full stop.
In a BBC interview, writer-director Maggie Kang made it clear she is not interested in translating this thing to live action. The reason is refreshingly simple: the jokes, the tone, the whole vibe were built for animation, and sanding that down for a real-world version is not the plan.
'So many elements of the tone and the comedy are made for animation. It is hard to picture these characters working in live action. It would feel too grounded, so it just would not work for me.'
Given how quickly anything popular gets lined up for a live-action redo, that is an unexpectedly sensible answer.
About that 'anime' label: the creator says no
Plenty of fans have lumped KPop Demon Hunters in with anime, probably because of the style and the energy. Kang pushed back on that too. She says the team is not steeped in modern anime the way you might assume, citing older favorites like Cowboy Bebop and Sailor Moon as touchstones. In other words: you might spot the influence, but the film is not trying to be anime and does not consider itself that.
The success story (and the oddities)
This is where it gets fun. KPop Demon Hunters is a Netflix original, but it also got a theatrical rollout — including a sing-along cut that actually hit No. 1 at the U.S. box office. Not something you see every day from a streamer-backed title. The movie pulled in $18 million worldwide and kept popping up on various charts while reviews stayed firmly in the glowing camp.
- Directed by: Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans
- Voice cast: Arden Cho, Liza Koshy, May Hong
- Release year: 2025
- Production: Sony Pictures Animation
- Where to watch: Netflix
- IMDb: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
- Worldwide box office: $18 million (plus that sing-along weekend win in the U.S.)
Oscar push is on for 2026
The campaign is real. The film is being positioned for Best Animated Feature, with Disney's Zootopia 2 pegged as a major competitor. Music is a big piece of the plan too: the anthem Golden is the primary Best Original Song play, with Your Idol and What it Sounds Like also in the mix.
Will the Academy bite? Hard to predict, but the combo of crowd-pleasing momentum, strong reviews, and a legit song slate gives it a shot. Anime or not, live-action or not, this one already did the unlikely part — it broke through.