It’s super rare for a Netflix original film or TV series to get a physical release, but the streamer is making an exception. Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang’s Oscar-winning animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” is getting the Criterion treatment. The musical/fantasy feature joins only 11 other animations in the acclaimed film archive, alongside “WALL-E” and “Journey to the Beginning of Time.”
Following the film’s two wins at the 2026 Academy Awards, which include Best Animated Feature, “KPop Demon Hunters” rides the wave of success for a physical release that includes 4K discs and a slew of special edition features.
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Enters Criterion in November
Criterion will release “KPop Demon Hunters” on physical media on November 3, 2026.
The release will include 4K, Blu-ray and DVDs packed full of special treats. Features include a making-of documentary, full feature-length animatic, two video essays from filmmakers Taylor Romos and Tony Zhou (“Every Frame a Painting”), lyric videos, collectible postcards showcasing original illustrations from film artists and a critical essay by Karen Han.
When co-director Maggie Kang won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, she became the first woman of Korean descent ever to win the category. Additionally, “Golden” took home Best Original Song, the first K-Pop song to do so. The overwhelming praise for the film fulfilled a deep wish for her, but she never “expected this kind of reaction,” she admitted to Deadline. “But I was confident that if I were to make a movie that I felt was great, then it would be received very well.”
When production came to a close, she instantly knew that she loved what she and her team had created. “I hadn’t seen anything like this before, and I’m so proud because I really pushed myself to my limits,” she added. A sequel is currently in the works.
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Joins ‘Stranger Things’ & More
“KPop Demon Hunters” isn’t the only Netflix original to get a physical release this year. The streaming giant teams up with Arrow Video for an expansive 25-disc 4K/Blu-ray box set for “Stranger Things.” The release includes a 148-page artbook, a Hellfire Club d20, a double-sided fold-out Hawkins map, posters with original artwork by Kyle Lambert and a Palace Arcade coin, among numerous other special features.
Matt and Ross Duffer, creators of the series, wanted to “preserve the show for decades to come” through the collaboration between Netflix and Arrow Video. Dean Lawson, director of sales and marketing for Arrow, recognized the show’s immense cultural influence, particularly as the sci-fi/horor juggernaut has “transcended generations and has been a huge part of the cultural conversation for nearly 10 years now,” he told Sci-Fi Now.
Two other Netflix originals are heading to a physical media retailer near you. Those are Guillermo del Toro’s cinematic “Frankenstein” with a 158-minute director’s cut out on October 27, 2026, and the complete series collection of “The Sandman” on October 20, 2026.
While fans have been clamoring for 2021’s blockbuster slasher trilogy “Fear Street” to get a physical release, the soundtracks of each film, “1994,” “1978” and “1666,” were issued on vinyl immediately following the streaming drop.
