‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Is a Streaming Phenomenon, So How Is It Eligible for Oscars? Here’s How

Earlier this week, we reported that the team behind the Netflix hit KPop Demon Hunters has chosen to submit “Golden” in the best original song category at the 2026 Oscars. You may be wondering how a streaming phenomenon can be eligible for Oscars in the first place. Don’t films have to play in theaters to qualify for Oscars?

They do, and KPop Demon Hunters did – just enough to satisfy the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ highly specific eligibility requirements.

KPop Demon Hunters played for one week (June 20-26) at three theaters, opening on the same date that film debuted on Netflix. (That’s important, as you will see.) The theaters were:

– Landmark Opera Plaza Cinema, San Francisco, Calif.
– Laemmle, Glendale (Los Angeles County)
– Quad Cinema, New York, N.Y.

It is not known how much the film grossed in those limited engagements. The film does not appear on boxofficemojo.com’s list of the 62 highest-grossing films in the U.S. and Canada from that week – a list that goes all the way down to films that made a paltry $360. (The Academy does not specify that boxoffice grosses have to be reported.)

In one respect, KPop Demon Hunters exceeded the Academy’s minimum requirements. Academy rules require that a film play in one of “six qualifying U.S. metro areas.” Sony Pictures Animation, which made KPop Demon Hunters, and Netflix, which is distributing it, arranged for it to play in three of them. 

The academy’s compendium of Complete Rules for the 98th Oscars runs 50 pages. It is far from a beach read, but you can be sure that studios and streamers pore over every word so that they don’t run afoul of eligibility requirements. The section on eligibility appears on pages 2-5, but we’ll give you the highlights.

The rules stipulate that, to qualify for Oscar consideration, a film must be exhibited “for paid admission in a commercial motion picture theater in one of the six qualifying U.S. metro areas: Los Angeles County; City of New York [five boroughs]; the Bay Area [counties of San Francisco, Marin, Alameda, San Mateo and Contra Costa]; Chicago [Cook County, Illinois]; Dallas-Fort Worth [Dallas County, Tarrant County, Texas]; and Atlanta [Fulton County, Georgia].”

The rules further stipulate that it must play “for a theatrical qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days in the same commercial motion picture theater, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily, with at least one screening beginning between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.”

Also, the film must be “advertised and exploited during their theatrical qualifying run in a manner normal and customary to theatrical feature distribution practices…”

Finally, there’s this stern warning: “Films that, in any version, receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release will not be eligible for Academy Awards in any category. Nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution includes but is not limited to: broadcast and cable television; pay per view/video on demand; DVD and/or streaming distribution; inflight airline distribution; internet transmission; episodic series.”

But there is also this note of saving grace: “Motion pictures released in such nontheatrical media on or after the first day of their theatrical qualifying run remain eligible.”

Netflix has become a major player at the Oscars in the past decade. Nine songs from Netflix-distributed films have received Oscar nominations for best original song since 2018, including three earlier this year – “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez, which won; “Mi Camino” from that same film; and “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight.

Much like KPop Demon Hunters, those films also had just enough theatrical distribution to meet Oscar eligibility requirements. Emilia Pérez received a limited theatrical release in the U.S. and Canada beginning Nov. 1, 2024, before debuting on Netflix on Nov. 13. The Six Triple Eight was released in a limited theatrical release on Dec. 6, 2024, with a streaming release two weeks later on Netflix.

Here are two lists for you – songs from films that were distributed by Netflix that have received Oscar nominations for best original song, and films distributed by Netflix that have been nominated for best animated feature film. Will KPop Demon Hunters join either or both lists when the nominations are announced on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026? Place your bets. All years refer to the year of the Oscar ceremony.

Songs From Films Distributed by Netflix That Have Been Nominated for Best Original Song

    2018: “Mighty River” from Mudbound – Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq, and Taura Stinson

    2019: “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs – David Rawlings and Gillian Welch

    2021: “Hear My Voice” from The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Daniel Pemberton and Celeste Waite

    2021: “Husavik” from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga – Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus, and Rickard Göransson

    2021: “Io sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead – Diane Warren and Laura Pausini

    2024: “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony – Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson

    2025: “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez (Winner) – Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard

    2025: “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight – Diane Warren

    2025: “Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol and Camille

Films Distributed by Netflix That Have Been Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film

    2020: I Lost My Body – Jeremy Clapin and Marc du Pontavice

    2020: Klaus – Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh, and Marisa Román

    2021: Over the Moon – Glen Keane, Gennie Rin, and Peilin Chou

    2022: The Mitchells vs. the Machines – Mike Rianda, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Kurt Albrecht

    2023: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Winner) – Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar, and Alex Bulkley

    2023: The Sea Beast – Chris Williams and Jed Schlanger

    2024: Nimona – Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Karen Ryan and Julie Zackary

    2025: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham, and Richard Beek