Stranger Things Is Almost Finished - Luckily For Netflix, Its Replacement Is Already Here

"Stranger Things" represents something truly unique in an age where the monoculture has all but died. Whenever a new season arrives, it's about as close as we all get to a shared cultural experience, and now that "Stranger Things" is coming to an end with season 5, Netflix is going to need a new hit to take its place — and it might not have to look all that far. "KPop Demon Hunters" has proved to be every bit as popular and culturally relevant as the Duffer Brothers' series, and now it looks as though Netflix is set to capitalize on that success, suggesting "KPop Demon Hunters" will become the streamer's new "Stranger Things."

In terms of series, "Wednesday" season 1 currently sits at the top of Netflix's all-time list, having built up 252.1 million views. With 140.7 million views, "Stranger Things" season 4 sits at number three, behind the chilling one-take series "Adolescence." But taking every season into account, alongside the obvious cultural impact, "Stranger Things" has been nothing short of a behemoth for the streamer. With an animated spin-off series, books, comic, games, and even a Broadway show, the Duffer Brothers' sci-fi horror series has been undeniably instrumental in making Netflix the most-subscribed streamer in the world over the past decade.

Now, fictional Korean girl group HUNTR/X are officially the most popular thing on Netflix. Not only is "KPop Demon Hunters" the streamer's most successful movie of all time, it has dwarfed the next popular movie in terms of global views, bringing in 325.1 million views compared to the 230.9 million amassed by Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds' glossy, lifeless actioner "Red Notice." With Stranger Things finally wrapping up, expect to see a heck of a lot more demon hunting in the near future.

"KPop Demon Hunters" has become so popular it forced Netflix to do something it's avoided. That is, the streamer has mostly avoided making merch for its most popular IP. The one major exception? "Stranger Things" (and "Wednesday," which dominated the Halloween season back in 2022). Go to any Target or Walmart in the United States and you'll see entire aisles dedicated to the series with everything from clothes to chips bearing the "Stranger Things" branding as part of the season 5 promotional campaign. While other Netflix series have matched "Stranger Things" in terms of views — most notably "Squid Game" — none have proved to be as valuable in terms of licensing.

Now, a challenger has arisen in the form of "KPop Demon Hunters," with Netflix recently announcing it has partnered with Mattel to produce everything from dolls, collectibles, and action figures to accessories and playsets based on the hit movie. What's more, Netflix and AMC have squashed their well-publicized beef in order to re-release "KPop Demon Hunters" in theaters for Halloween — a smart move considering characters from the show are reportedly some of the top costume choices for the 2025 spooky season.

Apparently, the streamer and its partners were entirely unprepared for this onslaught of attention, with the company telling Business Insider that interest from licensing partners was "soft" ahead of the movie's initial release. This has led to a dearth of merch and most importantly, Halloween costumes ahead of October 31. In other words, this movie caught everyone, including Netflix, by surprise. But with "Stranger Things" ending, it's surely a welcome surprise.

Unlike "Squid Game" or indeed, "Red Notice," "KPop Demon Hunters" is a uniquely important hit for Netflix due to its cultural impact. Kids are identifying with this movie in a way that they never could with the aforementioned shows and movies, and it's this that makes the film so important for the streamer. After hitting Netflix on June 20, 2025, "KPop Demon Hunters" was given a rare theatrical release when a sing-along version debuted in theaters for a two-day run between August 23–24, 2025. The movie quickly became Netflix's best-performing theatrical release ever, bringing in $19.2 million in its brief weekend window and solidifying the arrival of a powerhouse IP.

Fueled by positive reviews, word-of-mouth, its shrewd leveraging of K-Pop's ongoing popularity, and a rewatch rate that surely must have been the highest in Netflix history, "KPop Demon Hunters" became a mega-hit far quicker than anyone, including the streamer itself, could have imagined. Now this new property has the potential to unite an increasingly fractured culture with every new release, providing a shared experience for a generation that has otherwise Tik-Tokked themselves into a stupor.

With the huge licensing deal and what is clearly significant cultural influence, then, "KPop Demon Hunters" is perfectly poised to take on the role "Stranger Things" has played for the last decade. Of course, in order for that to happen, Netflix is going to have to try to satiate the unending appetite for "content." What's interesting is that this particular hit is a movie rather than a show, but with so much attention surrounding HUNTR/X, it's surely only a matter of time before a series materializes.