The demon hunters are returning; it is official! On Thursday, Netflix confirmed that a sequel to KPop Demon Hunters, the streamer’s most-watched film of all time, is officially in development.
KPop Demon Hunters was a 2025 sensation globally. (X/@Netflix)
KPop Demon Hunters sequel in development
The film’s creators and co-directors, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, have signed a new exclusive multi-year writing and directing deal for animation, Reuters reported. The new film will extend their creative collaboration with Netflix.
“I feel immense pride as a Korean filmmaker that the audience wants more from this Korean story and our Korean characters. There’s so much more to this world we have built and I’m excited to show you. This is only the beginning,” Maggie Kang said in a statement.
The sequel had been discussed before the official announcement. In January, speaking to Reuters, co-director Appelhans said that a sequel would need a clear creative direction from the beginning. “You have to know where you’re headed because otherwise you will be lost immediately. So, we’ll just have to do that again and make something that we love, and that means something to us. And then I think if you do that well, it works and other people connect to it,” he said.
KPop Demon Hunters’ phenomenal success
KPop Demon Hunters has been a phenomenal success for Netflix and its creators. Animated by Sony Pictures Animation, the original musical film follows K-pop girl trio Huntrix — Rumi, Mira and Zoey — as they balance their superstardom with secret lives as demon hunters. By March 2026, the film had close to 600 million views on the platform, making it Netflix’s most-watched film ever.
It has also received critical acclaim, exemplified by two Oscar nominations, and has been a raging musical success. Lead vocalists EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami propelled the movie’s breakout anthem Golden to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
KPop Demon Hunters became a critical and awards-season powerhouse, earning best animated feature and best song at the 31st Critics’ Choice Awards, as well as best animated motion picture and best original song at the 83rd Golden Globes. It has two Oscar nominations – for best animated feature and best original song.
Golden, the chartbusting single from the film, also secured a Grammy for best song written for visual media — the first Grammy ever awarded to a K-Pop song.
I was making a comeback after nearly two years and everything around the team had changed: the fitness levels, the attitude and the mindset.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!I still remember the evening after Australia enforced the follow-on. National selector Madan Lal asked us to keep fighting. Laxman then said something that surprised me. He said, “We might win this.” At that stage it felt hard to imagine, but he had the belief.Rahul Dravid came in at No. 6, while Laxman moved up the order. The decision came after discussions between coach John Wright and captain Sourav Ganguly. It turned out to be a smart move.
EXCLUSIVE: Rahul Dravid on iconic Eden Gardens win against Australia in 2001
Laxman and Dravid had known each other for years, from their South Zone and U-19 days. Once they settled in, the way they batted for an entire day and completely changed the game.Inside the dressing room there was tension. One wicket and the tail would be exposed. But the way they batted kept us alive. Australia, meanwhile, were so used to winning that they weren’t really playing for a draw. That made things difficult for them.That series belonged largely to Harbhajan Singh. But Sachin Tendulkar’s spell on Day 5 was crucial. He had the experience of bowling under pressure — like the famous last over in the Hero Cup in 1993 — and he delivered again when the team needed it.ALSO READ:‘Playing for India, mind becomes stronger than the body’: VVS Laxman recounts his epic Eden knockLaxman’s innings was extraordinary. He was coming down the track to Shane Warne and hitting him even against the spin. That confidence came from years of playing domestic cricket on turning tracks in Hyderabad.For me, the Kolkata Test was special because it turned out to be my last game. Getting the wicket of Mark Waugh made it even more memorable. It was the perfect farewell.More importantly, that Test transformed Indian cricket. It gave the team belief that we could fight back from any situation and win. There’s another small personal memory: the bat Laxman used to score that famous 281 was actually mine. So, in a small way, that was my contribution to that historic knock.(The former India left-arm spinner spoke to Vishal Menon)
For the complete match list, venues, and timings, check the full IPL 2026 schedule, fixtures, and team-wise match dates here.
Following her recent DUI arrest, Britney Spears’ ex-husband Sam Asghari has spoken out, asserting she’s been “oppressed” for years. Appearing on ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’, Asghari expressed his belief in Spears’ strength to overcome this, highlighting his deep respect for her and acknowledging the hardships she’s endured throughout her life.
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of alcohol abuse. Reader’s discretion is advised.Britney Spears’ DUI arrest has put her back in the headlines lately. The singer was taken into custody earlier this month. The star was arrested and released a day later by the California Highway Patrol for allegedly driving under the influence. Following her arrest, many people and netizens alike shared their opinions and thoughts on the matter.Sam Asghari, Spears’ ex-husband, also spoke out in support of the artist and discussed how “she was also oppressed by many people that took advantage of her.”
Sam Asghari speaks in support of Britney Spears
While appearing on the latest episode of ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’, the model and actor talked about his ex-partner Spears’ latest DUI arrest and her general circumstances. He talked about how the musician has been oppressed almost her entire life.He discussed Spears’ overall situation and added that it was unbelievable to him that “someone in America who was an advocate for women’s rights and wants freedom of speech and freedom for everybody being oppressed.”The star further added that people should respect her privacy and that he believes in the singer. “If she made a mistake, I really think she’s a strong woman and can come back from this,” he further added.
Sam Asghari talks about the respect he has for Britney Spears
The star also recalled their 8-year-long relationship, stating that he held a lot of respect for the artist and understood her perspective. He stated during the interview, “Even though we were married for one year, we were together for seven years, so my values for her, my respect for her always stands.”At the time of the interview, he also added that he had first-hand seen all the troubles that the ‘Toxic’ singer has had to go through her entire life, and that he wishes the star the very best.
About Sam Asghari and Britney Spears
The two famed stars got together for the first time in 2016 and chose to tie the knot after being together for more than five years. They officially got engaged in 2021 and were married by the next year. They were together as a married couple for only a year before filing for divorce.DISCLAIMER: If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol or substance abuse, please seek help from available helplines or support organizations.
As the Beckham family feud rumbles on, Brooklyn chose to avoid acknowledging his parents, David and Victoria’s, heartfelt birthday wishes to him recently. David, the ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid forward, Instagrammed a black and white picture of Brooklyn as a kid, swimming alongside himself and Victoria with the caption: “27 today, Happy Birthday Bust [Brooklyn’s nickname]. We love you.”
Former Spice Girls singer Victoria also shared a black and white photo in which she is seen playing with Brooklyn when he was a toddler. The accompanying caption read: “Happy 27th birthday Brooklyn. I love you so much.”
Brooklyn did not respond or ‘like’ either of the posts. In January, Brooklyn made a public announcement, saying he has no intention of reconciling with his parents, accusing them of trying to ruin his relationship with his wife Nicola Peltz. Brooklyn had claimed that his parents do things publicly for their image.
Hollywood star Kate Winslet is moving from one fantasy land to another. The actor, who just recently reunited with her “Titanic” director James Cameron for “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” is in talks to star in “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum”.
Winslet will join Andy Serkis in the movie, who is directing and reprising his popular role from the original Peter Jackson trilogy, reported Variety.
Warner Bros. hasn`t confirmed who will appear in the upcoming film, but Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen are reportedly reprising their roles as Frodo Baggins and Gandalf, respectively.
Jackson, who originally adapted the J. R. R. Tolkien`s novel for the big screen, is producing the film with his creative partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.
“The Hunt for Gollum” also reunites Winslet with Jackson after they last worked together in 1994`s “Heavenly Creatures.”
The film is slated to release in theaters on Dec. 17, 2027. The story details are not out yet but it is most likely set between the events of “The Hobbit” and “The Fellowship of the Ring.”
Both “Lord of the Rings” and its prequel series “The Hobbit” were major box office hits.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
ideo from northern Israel captured the moment an Iranian missile impacted in a residential area early Friday morning. The aftermath shows a fire and scattered debris next to damaged vehicles and buildings.
A few days ago, I found some relevant numbers that will help set context. CyberMedia Research (CMR)’s India Tablet PC Market Review for Q4 2025 notes the tablet market grew 41% year-on-year in the quarter, and that premium large-screen tablets (they specifically note 11-inch displays or larger) accounted for 85% of shipments. There are reasons for that, as I have often noted in analysis of tablets launched through the past year — tech companies such as Xiaomi are doing more for the cause of Android tablets, than Google themselves. Xiaomi’s previous three generations of the ‘Pad’ series have each moved the needle significantly, particularly the Xiaomi Pad 7 that also introduced a nano-texture display. The Xiaomi Pad 8 is walking the same path.
While the Xiaomi Pad 8 starts at ₹33,999, offering 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB variants, several highlights deserve focus. (Vishal Mathur | HT Photo)
While the Xiaomi Pad 8 starts at ₹33,999, offering 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB variants, several highlights deserve focus. First, Xiaomi is bundling the Focus Pen Pro, with its buttonless design and precision hover capabilities as an option from the outset. Secondly, the Nano Texture Display variant is available from the outset for just a ₹2,000 increment over the standard version — and this will have its own advantages, which I’ll explain. Third, and perhaps somewhat perplexing, is Xiaomi not having a 5G option, physical SIM or eSIM, with the Pad 8. This isn’t an India specific policy, the global Pad 8 positioning is without cellular connectivity (as it was with the Pad 7). This may be a miss, for a certain demographic.
The Workstation Mode continues to be a personal favourite, even though it took a bit of time to get the touchpad tracking speed just right on the Xiaomi Pad 8 Focus Keyboard (that’s ₹8,999; there’s also a Pad 8 Keyboard for ₹4,999). This accessory is crucial if you are looking at this tablet as a secondary work machine or that versatile travelling companion. Back to the Workstation Mode — it unlocks an interface similar to your Windows laptop or desktop, which means windowed apps and more versatile screen space sharing. It is ideal to have emails open on one side as you work on documents alongside. To expect any platform now not to have a substantial artificial intelligence (AI) suite would be fallacious. The Xiaomi HyperAI collective of AI voice transcription, an AI calculator and Google Gemini provide just the necessary utility.
It was last year when Xiaomi truly democratised the nano-texture display tech in Android tablets, and no rival has managed to replicate this in the meanwhile. What is the big deal with this nano-texture coating? This is essentially an extra layer of treatment on a display, a tablet in this case, to create a matte-like surface. This is designed in a way that any light, direct or otherwise that may be hitting this display if it were glossy and smooth, gets scattered. That is the method to negate reflections, which are otherwise all too common on most tablet, laptop, smartphone and desktop PC displays — the glass layer is conducive to reflections. With less light escaping, blacks tend to look deeper, and that’s a positive for colours across the spectrum.
Since the primary benefit is reflection elimination, and Xiaomi’s implementation remains astonishingly good, the tablet immediately becomes much more comfortable to use in most indoor and outdoor lighting conditions. This is particularly true for brightly lit environments. Many an office floor tends to be littered with hard, cool-temperature bright ceiling lights that generate reflections off any standard display. I’d say anyone and everyone except those doing video and photo editing workflows (for the want of nothing impeding judgement of colours, textures and shades) will appreciate the nano-texture methodology.
The thing is, you have to be very careful if the Xiaomi Pad 8 with the 11.2-inch Nano Texture display is what you’re buying. First, dust and fingerprints show up rather easily and it must only be cleaned with a soft cloth (and that’s not just a display observation, the Titanium Blue back also struggles). Secondly, if you intend to share your tablet with a child as well from time to time, the nano-texture may not hold up as well to even the slightest of rough usage. The 3:2 aspect ratio is perfect for most apps, but if you’re multitasking, an even wider aspect ratio wouldn’t exactly have felt out of place.
Last year’s Xiaomi Pad 7 used one of the better mid-range processors at the time, and its a similar template for the Xiaomi Pad 8 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip. My recommendation would be the 12GB memory variant, purely for the future proofing aspect. This is a very responsive machine, and handles multitasking scenarios with absolute ease. This handles the typical scenario of 24 Chrome tabs, a video meeting on Zoom, two documents open on WPS Office and the Canva app for edits, without any signs of strain. There are opinions about HyperOS 3 in general, but I’m a fan of how it has evolved particularly for tablets. This machine ideally shouldn’t slow down, unless you end up brimming the storage.
It’s a large 9,200mAh battery which can now return more than 20 hours of continuous on-screen time across a mix of typical workplace apps. With 45-watt charging, getting this ready for a couple more days at work takes less time than before.
There are some continuity themes that are more restrained, perhaps too risk averse. The Xiaomi Pad 8 is a step forward in the broader Android tablet formula collective, both as a tablet for typical casual usage, and as a work machine. The additional step with the nano-texture should be quite attractive as an experience for many who may be considering the Pad 8, with everything else falling just perfectly around it. There is a nagging sentiment that the lack of any cellular connectivity options may be a miss for travellers in particular. That said, it is good to see Xiaomi make tablet after tablet with genuine usability improvements, rather than just focusing on the spec sheet.
India’s Yuki Bhambri entered his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final as he and his Swedish partner Andre Goransson defeated Alexander Erler and Andrea Vavassori in straight sets in Indian Wells here.
The 33-year-old Indian had previously reached the doubles quarter-finals at the Masters 1000 level twice, including at Indian Wells last year.
Bhambri and Goransson defeated the Austrian-Italian pair 6-3, 7-6 in the quarter-finals that lasted over one hour 30 minutes.
The Indo-Swedish duo dominated on their first serve, winning 83 per cent of the points (29/35), which proved crucial in taking the second-set tie-break and closing out the match.
They will take on France’s Arthur Rinderknech and Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot in the semi-finals on Friday.
Rinderknech and Vacherot defeated the Russian duo of Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4 in their quarter-final.
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‘How much did you get your ticket for?’ That has been the question among Ranveer Singh fans as Dhurandhar: The Revenge opened its advance booking on March 7. Ticket prices for paid previews and weekend shows have hit a high — in Mumbai, the prices at multiplexes start from Rs 400, going up to a whopping Rs 2600!
Industry insiders say that the demand for the film’s paid preview has pushed multiplexes to aggressively price their premium formats, especially those offering recliner seats or IMAX format. “Such shows are priced between Rs 2200 and Rs 2500 in the Inox outlets of Borivali, Malad, and Nariman Point,” said a source from Inox. Meanwhile, the Luxe show of PVR Icon in Lower Parel has taken it a notch higher to Rs 2600.
Aditya Dhar
However, the strategy has been different for single-screen theatres across the country. According to exhibitors, filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s studio has requested affordable pricing. A source from Seble Cinemas in Delhi told mid-day, “Single screens have been asked to maintain accessible pricing so the core audience isn’t alienated. Morning shows are being sold at around Rs 220, while late-night shows are capped at roughly Rs 300 depending on the theatre.”
Several single-screen owners in Mumbai confirmed that Rs 220 is the standard fare. Manoj Desai, executive director, Gaiety Galaxy and Maratha Mandir, shared, “Multiplex audiences are willing to pay more, while single screens rely on volume. This approach allows the film to capitalise on demand in big cities without alienating its core audience in smaller centres.”
Premium evening and late-night shows of paid previews are priced between Rs 2200 and Rs 2500 in Inox Megaplex in Sky City, Borivali
Buy now or regret later
Inox sources suggest that from March 19, tickets for certain shows will be priced at R3100 and R3500 respectively for top Mumbai and Delhi theatres. Trade Analyst Girish Wankhede told mid-day, “Such steep rates were expected. Given the film’s hype, the high-end tickets will be priced between R3000 and R3500. This will continue till the opening weekend.”
Rs 220 Cost of a balcony ticket at single screens in Mumbai
Rs 600-Rs 2500 For IMAX shows in the city’s multiplexes
The legal battle surrounding the estate of late businessman Sunjay Kapur continues to play out in court. The case now involves his sister Mandhira Kapur Smith and his widow Priya Sachdev Kapur, who are currently facing off in a defamation case connected to public statements made about the family and its legacy.
Sunjay Kapur with sister Mandhira Kapur; Sunjay and Priya Sachdev
At a recent hearing in the Patiala House Court, Mandhira submitted her reply to the criminal defamation complaint filed against her by Priya. Along with the response, she also filed an application requesting the court to direct the complainant to produce certain documents that she believes are relevant to the case.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Siddhant Sihag heard preliminary arguments related to the application and scheduled the next hearing for March 30, 2026. The court also granted time to counsel for the proposed accused, Pooja Chaudhary, to submit a reply.
Dispute over request for documents
During the proceedings, Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing Priya Sachdev Kapur, opposed Mandhira’s application. He argued before the court that the request seeking production of documents was not maintainable at this stage of the case. Maninder also informed the court that while he would not be filing a formal written reply, he reserved the right to raise legal arguments during the proceedings.
On the other side, Advocate Amit Prasad, appearing for Mandhira, submitted both the reply to the defamation complaint and the application for document production. He argued that the alleged defamatory remarks attributed to Mandhira should not be examined in isolation and cited a judgment of the Supreme Court of India to support the request.
However, Maninder maintained that the ruling referenced by Mandhira’s legal team was not applicable to the present circumstances.
How the defamation case began
The dispute dates back to January this year, when Priya Sachdev Kapur filed a criminal defamation complaint against her sister-in-law, Mandhira. According to the petition, Priya alleged that several statements made by Mandhira across podcasts, media interviews and social media platforms contained false claims, insinuations and personal attacks. The complaint also stated that these remarks were presented as facts even though related matters were already under judicial consideration.
Mandhira has publicly denied that her statements were intended to damage Priya’s reputation. Speaking to ANI, she claimed that, “..The truth will come out…” Mandhira further told Republic TV, “I’m not…being malicious or anything. If the truth is what it is, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m not here to lie. What is Mandira’s truth here? The truth is that no one can walk away with our legacy and we will get it back. That is the truth.”
She also added, “What is the defamation here? What bit is the defamation? She may not like what is being said but then I can’t help it if it’s the truth…I mean, I’m not saying anything that, you know, which is defaming. I’m literally telling the truth.”
The court has now listed the matter for further hearing on March 30, as the legal dispute within the Kapur family continues to progress.
