Netflix’s ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ Poised to Dominate Theaters.

The singalong version of Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” is projected to gross between $18 million and $20 million at the box office this weekend, positioning it as the top film domestically. This achievement is particularly significant as it is only screening on Saturday and Sunday.

This isn’t the first time a streaming title has topped box office sales. Earlier this summer, Apple’s “F1” (distributed in U.S. theaters by Warner Bros.) had a strong opening of $57 million. However, this is the first time Netflix has released the highest-grossing film in theaters.

It’s worth noting that Netflix does not publish box office figures, so these numbers are preliminary weekend estimates from various industry sources, rather than official statistics from the streaming platform.

The weekend has been fairly quiet, with no significant new releases. Besides “KPop Demon Hunters,” the next highest-grossing film was “Weapons,” which brought in around $15.4 million in its third weekend, elevating its domestic total to $115 million.

This milestone holds special significance for a company that has largely avoided traditional theatrical releases—a choice that may have limited some of its most celebrated filmmakers. The closest Netflix has come to a major theatrical release was with Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” sequel “Glass Onion,” which earned about $15 million in theaters during a limited one-week run. Looking ahead, Greta Gerwig’s upcoming adaptation of “Narnia” is expected to perform even better when it premieres exclusively on IMAX screens next fall.

This also represents an impressive achievement for a film that has been available for streaming since late June, as it has already secured the number two spot on Netflix’s all-time most-viewed films list, with over 210 million views, positioned between “Red Notice” and “Carry-On.”

Produced by Sony Pictures Animation and featuring a predominantly Korean/Korean American voice cast, “KPop Demon Hunters” follows a K-Pop girl group as they battle demons, including a competing boy band. The song “Golden” from the film’s soundtrack has reached the top of the Billboard charts and garnered over 400 million streams on Spotify.

In line with its policy of not screening films that lack an exclusive theatrical window, AMC Theatres opted not to showcase the singalong version of “KPop Demon Hunters,” although it was the only major chain to take this position.