Netflix’s entire business model is built around the lure of binging movies and series without ever having to get up from the couch. But even the massive platform sees titles break containment on occasion—notably its most-streamed movie of all time, KPop Demon Hunters, which enjoyed multiple big-screen runs (including a sing-along version) en route to winning a pair of Oscars.
So it makes sense that Netflix, which has softened its release strategy in recent years—the Stranger Things finale got a big-screen bow; Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will play theatrically before it streams—would plot a similar approach to the much-anticipated KPop Demon Hunters 2.
The sequel isn’t expected until 2029, but Netflix is already making plans for a “broad theatrical release,” reports the Wrap, quoting co-CEO Ted Sarandos at the Bloomberg Screentime conference earlier this week.
“What we’re doing is looking at this model and saying, ‘Okay, how do we serve movie lovers who may want to see this movie in a theater,’ and ‘How do we not harm value to Netflix?’” Sarandos explained. “How do we position the film best in the world?”
And Netflix is not blind to the joys of the theatrical experience—especially for a crowd-pleaser like KPop Demon Hunters. However, it also knows there’s also the type of audience member that doesn’t mind waiting for a streaming release.
“The most passionate audience went to see it in the theater, so by the time it comes to Netflix, you’ve lost that passionate audience, and you got the people that go, ‘Oh, I meant to see that,’ or ‘I’ll get around to that,’” he said.
There was no further detail on what “a broader theatrical release” might entail, but the Wrap points out that acclaimed epic La Bola Negra—Spain’s submission for Best International Feature at the next Academy Awards—will soon be getting Netflix’s longest theatrical release window to date. According to Variety, it hits theaters October 16 before its streaming arrival on December 2.
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