By Sony might pocket only a $20 million return from the Netflix smash-hit
- by Sammy Barker
Chances are you’ve already come across K-Pop Demon Hunters.
The picture has sat at the top of the Netflix film chart for an astonishing seven consecutive weeks, smashing platform records. If current momentum holds, it’s about to overtake every other title to become the streamer’s most-watched feature of all time—pause and absorb that stat.
Even more remarkable, the track Golden by fictional outfit HUNTR/X just hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the first k-pop anthem fronted by women to achieve that feat. Apologies to the Blinks.
You’d figure all of this would be phenomenal for Sony Pictures Entertainment, the studio behind the film, right?
Well, not quite.
According to a deep-dive by industry sleuth Matt Belloni, Sony tossed the rights to Netflix before release and will ultimately clear barely $20 million from the whole property.
Netflix is already billing it as its own Frozen-level franchise—the multi-billion-dollar cash cow Disney will never let die.
Conversations are now turning toward a live-action remake and an entire animated trilogy that would follow.
This is where Sony could still prosper: Netflix still needs somebody to physically crank out those sequels, and it makes obvious sense to invite back the crew that nailed the first installment.
Sony Pictures obviously never foresaw this level of breakout pandemonium, yet the episode highlights why hanging onto intellectual property is absolutely vital in creative sectors like film and gaming.
[source puck.news, via forbes.com]
As Push Square’s Editor, Sammy has spent more than fifteen years dissecting everything PlayStation, from PS3 all the way to PS5. He’s a go-to authority on PS Studios and wider industry trends, plus an aficionado of sports titles and sim racers. Whenever he carves out free time, he dives into RPGs, occasionally splurging on gacha pulls.