In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures Animation presidents Christine Belson and Damien de Froberville said they’ve looked at the numbers and concluded, “one million percent,” that kpop demon hunter The only reason it was such a big hit was because it was on Netflix.
When Belson was asked whether Sony had foreclosed the film’s theatrical potential over streaming, he said, “One million percent, it had to be on Netflix.” “It was the perfect storm of that movie combined with the power of that platform.”
Belson said that when you have a movie on Netflix, the company asks you how it is performing. The first check-in occurs after three days, then after 10 days, then after 28 days. “The three-day call was like, ‘Yeah, it’s OK,'” de Froberville said. “10-day call: ‘Yeah, it’s OK. It’s starting to look interesting, especially on rewatch.'”
Belson added, “And then typically you don’t hear from them again between 10-days and 28-days.” “But then we got a call [Netflix’s Head of Feature Animation and Family Film] Hannah Minghella on the 14th or something. ‘There’s something going on here.’ So, it required time, which you don’t get in dramatics.”
This is the kind of success that everyone involved wants to continue. And despite reports that the sequel would arrive in 2029, Belson reportedly “put his index finger up his nose” when questioned about that release date being a bit ambitious, given how slow the animation is. So, don’t hold your breath just yet.
This is a fascinating interview that talks about the new movie goat as well as Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Read it here.
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