Audrey Nuna, EJAE and Rei Ami attend the KPop Demon Hunters Special Screening at Netflix Tudum Theater on June 16, 2025
Getty Images for Netflix
Two of the most important animated films of summer 2025 came to the big screen in unusual ways this August. Netflix’s K-Pop Demon Hunters first premiered on the streaming platform on June 20. However, on August 23, a sing-along version of the film entered limited theatrical release at around 1,700 theaters.
Netflix very rarely releases its films in theaters, and usually, the streamer only completes short theatrical releases for Oscar eligibility in the lead up to their Netflix premiere. However, when it comes to K-Pop Demon Hunters, their reasoning seemingly has to do with the traction the film has been getting on the site. The movie is currently the third most-watched Netflix film by hours on the streamer (and may take the first spot since the two films above it are from 2021: Red Notice and Don’t Look Up). It is also the second most popular movie by Netflix’s metrics. However, possibly more interestingly, it also did well at this weekend’s in-person box office.
Deadline reports that the film came in at “No. 1 with $19.2M over Saturday and Sunday” with the sing-along version. The report also noted that Netflix hasn’t been forthcoming with the numbers. Box Office Mojo reported a slightly different number at $18.0M, but the film still took the top spot during a relatively sleepy box office weekend. A box office between $18-20M is very impressive for a film that has been out on streaming for two months and is available to watch at home.
Conversely, another animated ‘rerelease’ didn’t do as well at the box office this weekend. Ne Zha 2 premiered initially in China in January. A direct sequel to 2019’s Ne Zha, the film became a massive hit in China. Not only is it currently the fifth highest grossing film of all time with a gross of more than $2.2B, it has set several other records. It became both the highest-grossing animated film and the highest-grossing non-English language film. For both records, it was also the first to cross the $2B mark in the category. Due to the popularity of the film, an English dubbed version was released in theaters on August 22, 2025. However, the English dub of Ne Zha 2 only took the 13th spot at the box office this weekend, grossing under $2M across over 2,200 theaters. It should be said that the Chinese version of the film made $7.2 million on 660 screens at the American Box office when it premiered in February. Still, much of the film’s impressive box office numbers came from the international market, specifically the Chinese market.
There isn’t one takeaway concerning theatrical rereleases from this weekend’s box office. While one animated film soared, another struggled. This may have to do with American tastes or simply how long Ne Zha 2 has been available.
Two older non-animated films also were theatrically rereleased this weekend. The 10-year-anniversary of Trainwreck and the 25th-anniversary of The 40 Year Old Virgin also made it to 800 screens each (however, neither brought in over $35,000 or broke the top 20.)
When it comes to K-Pop Demon Hunters and Ne Zha 2, both movies are interesting case studies on popular animation and theatrical releases.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rosaescandon/2025/08/25/rereleases-of-k-pop-demon-hunters-and-ne-zha-2-do-differently-at-this-weekends-box-office/
