‘KPop Demon Hunters’ now No. 1 after sliding past ‘Zootopia 2’ in Best Animated Feature odds

Talk about “Golden”!

Just days after KPop Demon Hunters claimed the top spot in Gold Derby’s Golden Globe nonination predictions, it is now the top contender at the 2026 Oscars, too.

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Netflix’s empowering musical film about a trio of demon fighters — who are all about to be merchandised to death by Mattel and Hasbro — now has a leading 95.9 percent for a nomination in the Best Animated Feature category. Disney’s animal-themed sequel, Zootopia 2, which had been leading for much of the season despite not yet being screened for critics, is a fraction behind at 95.8 percent.

Best Animated Feature

Contender

Odds

1.

KPop Demon Hunters

96.0%

2.

Zootopia 2

95.7%

3.

Arco

87.4%

4.

Scarlet

66.8%

5.

Elio

58.6%

The original Zootopia claimed victory at the 2017 Academy Awards, but the second installment won’t hit theaters until Nov. 26. Comparatively, KPop Demon Hunters has been viewed by a lot of people. Not only is it Netflix’s most-watched original film of all time with 325 million global views, but a sing-along version made $18 million in theaters over a two-day period in August, and is returning for a Halloween engagement between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2. In addition, the soundtrack, which features the Oscar-eligible song “Golden,” has amassed 8.3 billion streams.

Rounding out Gold Derby’s predicted Oscar nominees for the Best Animated Feature: Neon’s Arco (87.3 percent), Toho’s Scarlet (67.2 percent), and Pixar’s Elio (58.5 percent). If our predictions pan out, that would mean Zootopia 2 is the sole sequel in this year’s lineup. The only sequels to ever win this category were Toy Story 3 (2010) and Toy Story 4 (2019).

KPop Demon Hunters tells the story of the girl band Huntr/x, which comprising lead singer Rumi with purple locks (Arden Cho is the speaking voice and Ejae is the singing voice); dancer-choreographer Mira with pink pigtails (May Hong is the speaking voice and Audrey Nuna is the singing voice); and rapper-lyricist Zoey with black hair (Ji-young Yoo is the speaking voice and Rei Ami is the singing voice).

Action figures, games (including Monopoly), accessories, etc. will hit toy stores in 2026, and fans can preorder them starting next month. Mattel and Hasbro call their lucrative marketing deal with the Netflix film a “first-of-its-kind collaboration” that is indisputably “for the fans.”

The Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 22, and the ceremony will take place March 15, with Conan O’Brien once again serving as host.

Make your predictions at Gold Derby right now to help influence our odds.

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