We're Just Two Weeks Away From KPop Demon Hunters' Major Re-Release

3 hours ago 19

Rumi, Zoey and Mira from KPop Demon Hunters

Published Oct 26, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

Once head of Screen Rant's Star Wars coverage, Tom's career began as a fan of the fantasy and sci-fi genres, and his love of major franchises has ultimately led to a decade-long career. He'd had the privilege of interviewing writers, authors, directors, actors, stunt coordinators, and VFX artists on a staggering number of his favorite franchises, including Star Wars, the MCU, Stranger Things, Halo, Foundation, and more. He's conducted set visits in the UK, attending major comic cons in New York and London, and reported at Star Wars Celebration 2023 as press. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon, on LinkedIn @tabacon, or on Muckrack under tombacon.

Tom has a wide range of interests, and he continues to serve his university as a volunteer chaplain. He's heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he's into British politics too.

Last year, KPop Demon Hunters took the world by storm — and that was despite a minimal theatrical release. Technically made by Sony, KPop Demon Hunters was released on Netflix as part of a deal struck between the studio and streamer during the pandemic. That said, Sony execs have insisted they don't believe the film would have been anywhere near as big had it had a more conventional release. Speaking at the Bank of America conference, Sony's Ravi Ahuja stressed that (with exceptions) "the edgier, anime-style look and feel of Demon Hunters typically does not resonate with a broad theatrical audience" in the US.

KPop Demon Hunters was undoubtedly the movie of the year in 2025, netting the Best Animated Film award at the Oscars. Demon Hunters' soundtrack was honored, too, with "Golden" winning an Oscar (much to my amusement; as much as I love that song, I prefer "What It Sounds Like"). But, in just two weeks, Kpop Demon Hunters is re-releasing in a whole new format — one with a thrilling number of bonus features.

KPop Demon Hunters Is Joining The Criterion Collection

In two weeks' time, KPop Demon Hunters is joining the prestigious Criterion Collection in a thrilling new home release. It includes:

New 4K digital master, approved by directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, with Dolby Atmos soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and two Blu-rays with the film and special features
Full feature-length animatic, with a new introduction by Kang and Appelhans
New making-of documentary
Two video essays by filmmakers Taylor Ramos & Tony Zhou (Every Frame a Painting)
Lyric videos
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing and English descriptive audio
Collectible postcards featuring original illustrations by artists who worked on the film
PLUS: An essay by critic Karen Han

This is a home release with a difference. Criterion Collection releases are renowned for having some of the best special features around (technically, the Criterion Collection blazed the trail for them). In this case, the making-of documentary will be unmissable, and the video essays will be thrilling to see. Netflix has alrready released a digital Art of KPop Demon Hunters, but these postcards will be different; they've been specially created in honor of the movie that took the world by storm.

KPop Demon Hunters' Criterion Collection Release Shows How Important The Movie Really Is

This isn't the first Netflix film to score a Criterion Collection release, and Netflix has stressed how proud it is of the budding relationship. Founded in 1984, the Criterion Collection serves film and media scholars, cinephiles, and public and academic spaces; a Criterion edition essentially recognizes the importance of a movie, confirming it as one of the defining and most significant releases of its kind. Criterion is known for superb home releases, launching LaserDisc in 1984 and moving to DVD in 1998 (it took another decade to shift to Blu-Ray).

Criterion releases are renowned for their special features, and KPop Demon Hunters seems to be getting a pretty standard fare; video essays and directors' commentaries are common, and typically a delight to watch. Expect to learn more about HUNTR/X and the film's directors, as part of a critical reflection on what makes KPop Demon Hunters such a success. We're all eagerly awaiting KPop Demon Hunters 2, but until then, this will surely be the best re-release we'll ever get for the first movie.

You can pre-order KPop Demon Hunters on the Criterion Collection here.