Copyright Bloomberg
For the tweens (and adults) who’ve collectively streamed Netflix’s surprise megahit KPop Demon Hunters hundreds of millions of times since its summer release, there’s nothing they want to get their hands on more this holiday season than action figures, dolls and plushies based on the film’s world-saving female pop trio. Good luck. Parents eager to stock their kids’ stockings with official merchandise can find little more than a card game, wooden ornaments, phone grips and apparel at select retailers or Netflix Inc.’s online store. Given the time required to produce and ship many consumer products and a level of fandom few anticipated, most of the toys inspired by the film won’t be ready until the first or second quarter of next year—almost a year after the animated musical first took the world by storm. The delay is bad news for toymakers and retailers, who want to give kids their favorite Christmas presents and take advantage of the yearend shopping frenzy in the process. (US shoppers alone are expected to spend more than $250 billion online in November and December, up 5.3% from 2024, according to Adobe Inc .) Yet, Netflix says it isn’t worried about the short-term inconvenience. Consumer products are still just a tiny business for the streamer, which views toys and clothing more as marketing for its programming than as a revenue generator. The real challenge for Netflix is whether it can turn KPop Demon Hunters into the first blockbuster kids franchise it owns the rights to—which would be a much bigger long-term moneymaker than, say, getting Huntr/X Barbies to stores before Dec. 25.
