Stray Kids kick-start 2026 with theatrical displays of big-ticket K-Pop concert experiences. Stray Kids had a big 2025, with their dominATE world tour, a massive success culminating nearly a decade of work.
Their leader, Bang Chan, and the subunit 3Racha showed no signs of slowing down, marching forward and releasing a new full album, Karma, an EP, and more. Now, here we are with this concert film, a flashback to a great year for STAYs.
This is not a traditional review, rather a reflection of a cinematic experience that is unfortunately short-lived in theatres. As this is a concert film, a traditional review is not warranted. However, two key points can be criticized. One: the editing, and two: the storytelling. Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience is a concert film designed to bring Stray Kids to their fans and an audience that could not attend a concert in person or who wish to relive it.
Documentary vignettes are scattered throughout to provide insight into each member’s emotions and thoughts about this particular world tour. This concert film is also a massive ad for the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. As the main focus, the Stray Kids, the concert film is well designed to showcase their talents, their inner voice, and their outward display of passion and dedication to their craft and fans. There is no doubt they have fun as well, but a deeper purpose propels them forward and has brought them to one of their biggest shows to date.
The editing for the concert film is crucial for a few reasons, one being that there is a large audience that has not attended and may never attend a Stray Kids concert for a myriad of reasons. How this particular show is captured and edited invites them to join the experience. Sure, they aren’t amongst the thousands screaming, cheering and dancing along, but they can feel like they are from the comfort of a theatre near them.
However, my small gripe with this aspect of the film is that there is just a bit too much cutting to the audience and the stadium, distracting from the performances, which are already as dynamic and kinetic as the group’s music videos and music. I don’t know about you, dear reader, but when I am at a concert, my eyes are looking straight ahead at the artists, and the who and what around me is not even on my radar. For a more immersive experience, the film could have shown restraint in this particular area because it is jarring. There is certainly a lot of energy injected into the filming of the whole experience, but the camera(s) needed to be fixed on the performers and band a bit more.
The documentary vignettes, however, are more welcomed and are well placed, starting with Felix and ending with the group’s leader, Bang Chan. The structure of these mini personal moments creates a sense of momentum at the core of the group, Bang Chan. As STAYs know very well, there is no Stray Kids without the Aussie-born artist who handpicked each member and is responsible for nearly every aspect of the group, down to the logo, which he hand-drew. While the film as a whole is a celebration of nearly a decade of growth and popularity, underneath, there is a special ode to the man who made it all happen. It’s nice and sincere, and that sincerity is what ultimately makes the whole concert film a fun time.
There is a reason why the Stray Kids are amongst the most in-demand K-pop artists working right now. The 8-member group are charismatic, passionate and extremely talented. Dedicated to their fanbase, providing high-level performances time after time. This concert film is a distillation of the group’s heart and spirit, and a generous glimpse into the psyche of the group that has been giving their all since 2018.
It’s a shame Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience isn’t available in theatres for a longer period, as it is an experience worth having. A better strategy would be to allow the concert film to play in theatres for at least a month before it finds its way to STAYs homes by other means, such as streaming or home video.
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