Released in 2021, theDwayne Johnson-led globe-trotting epicRed Noticehas long held the record forNetflix’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 toRed Noticeamassing 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 areported 184.6 million viewsand remains in Netflix’s top 10 rankings; it seems only a matter of time before it overtakesRed Notice.
‘Red Notice’ Deserves To Be Booted From the Top
With a bloated budget of $200 million and a check-marked list of every cliché in the heist genre,Red Noticecertainly 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 likedthe movie, but you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who quotes it as their favorite. Comparatively,KPop Demon Huntershas 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
The appeal ofKPop Demon Huntershas been broad, with mature audiences coming to it through an appreciation of the music, animation, and its use ofKorean 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 Huntersis everything thatRed Noticeis not: original, inventive, and made with passion instead of crunching numbers and delivering a formulaic action outing.KPopDemon Hunterscertainly 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 Huntersis 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 isRed Notice.
KPop Demon Huntershas yet to surpassRed Notice,but it only seems a matter of time, especially with the talks about a sequel toRed Noticeremaining stagnant, whiletalks of sequels toKPop Demon Huntersramp 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, whileRed Noticeis becoming a forgotten relic, as it should. ToKPop 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.BothRed NoticeandKPop DemonHunters are currently streaming onNetflix.
KPop Demon Hunters
