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The Netflix phenomenon, “KPop Demon Hunters,” has taken a significant step towards potential Oscar glory, securing eligibility for the animated feature film category at the upcoming 98th Academy Awards. The film is among 35 features now vying for the prestigious prize.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences officially released its comprehensive lists of eligible films across animated, documentary, and international feature categories on Friday, setting the stage for next year’s awards ceremony.
Despite its primary home on Netflix, “KPop Demon Hunters” fulfilled the Academy’s stringent criteria for Oscar consideration through a qualifying theatrical release in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco this past June. Curiously, however, its UK cinema run did not meet the requirements for BAFTA qualification.
Other animated titles that qualified for the Oscars animated feature category were Neon’s “Arco,” Disney’s “Elio” and “Zootopia 2,” GKids’ “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain,” Netflix’s “In Your Dreams” and Crunchyroll/Sony’s “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” and “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc.” Notably, the Chinese blockbuster “Ne Zha 2” was not among the 35 titles listed.
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Film Oscars (2017 Invision)
“KPop Demon Hunters,” which Netflix has said is its most watched film of all time, has amassed more than 541 million hours viewed worldwide. It’s the highest charting soundtrack of 2025 with eight of its songs landing on the Billboard Hot 100. It also made a splash in theaters in August where it was estimated to have made around $18 million (which would have topped the charts if Netflix released theatrical earnings) and got a subsequent release over Halloween weekend. Netflix won their first animated feature Oscar in 2022 for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.”
There are also 201 documentaries and 86 international features eligible, including “Sentimental Value” (Norway), “Sirât” (Spain), “The Secret Agent” (Brazil), “It Was Just an Accident” (France), “The Voice of Hind Rajab” (Tunisia) and “My Father’s Shadow” (United Kingdom). “2000 Meters to Andriivka,” a co-production between the AP and PBS Frontline, is eligible in both categories. Both documentary and international titles will be winnowed to a 10-film shortlist that will be revealed on Dec. 16.
“KPop Demon Hunters” fans will have to wait for nomination morning on Jan. 22 to hear whether or not they made the cut for animated feature. It’s largely expected to be a player in the original song category as well, where “Golden” is among the songs being submitted.
The 98th Oscars will air live on ABC on March 15 at 7 p.m. ET.
