As South Korean popular culture continues to dominate the globe, the Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” successfully blends influences and leans into the worldwide enchantment of Korean leisure. Mixing energetic pop songs with Okay-drama storytelling stakes, the film has topped Netflix’s streaming charts and confirmed authentic animation can nonetheless thrive. Past the movie’s streaming success, nonetheless, the manufacturing’s soundtrack can also be breaking data, with its main single “Golden” now up for awards consideration. This breathtaking recognition on a number of fronts is a transparent testomony to the rising ubiquity of South Korean leisure worldwide and indicators the nation’s cultural unfold is simply gaining momentum.
For the uninitiated, “KPop Demon Hunters” is an animated musical a few Okay-pop woman group that hunts demons, because the title suggests. The story focuses on Huntr/x, a lady group having fun with world success whereas additionally secretly looking demons and utilizing their musical skills to take care of a magical barrier defending the world. In response, the demon king Gwi-ma (Lee Byung-hun) creates a rival boy band, the Saja Boys, who’re disguised demons utilizing their recognition to empty followers’ souls. Main Huntr/x is Rumi (Arden Cho), who’s secretly part-demon and torn over her heritage as she defeats demons by her music. This results in a musical showdown between Huntr/x and the Saja Boys, with Rumi unveiling a brand new track able to breaking Gwi-ma’s soul-draining spell.
This all makes for a pleasant bubblegum pop animated journey, however there are some actually spectacular feats “KPop Demon Hunters” has pulled off since its June 2025 launch.
KPop Demon Hunters’ multi-fronted dominance
Whereas “KPop Demon Hunters” premiered to respectable streaming numbers on Netflix, with over 9 million viewers worldwide, it greater than doubled its viewership in its second week. For an business that sees regular viewers attrition after debuts, the animated film defied that development, with over 24 million extra viewers having streamed the movie in its second week alone (through Selection). The film’s optimistic important response and robust word-of-mouth has doubtless buoyed its endurance, with the movie incomes a powerful 95% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Nonetheless, it is the musical accomplishments of “KPop Demon Hunters” which can be among the many manufacturing’s most eye-opening and necessary.
Because the movie’s soundtrack made its debut on-line, it has recurrently topped streaming charts on Spotify, with the album having additionally launched at #8 on the Billboard Sizzling 200 chart. The soundtrack’s hit single “Golden” has even surpassed the output of real-life woman group Blackpink (whose member Lisa is now an performing star as nicely because of “The White Lotus”) to grow to be the highest-charting women-led Okay-pop track in historical past (through the BBC). In the meantime, the Saja Boys-performed single “Your Idol” has replicated that success, outperforming BTS’s work because the highest-charting male-led Okay-pop track. Okay-pop had already grow to be a musical powerhouse worldwide, and “KPop Demon Hunters” correctly faucets into that rising fanbase for its personal business success.
Given the streaming recognition of each the film “KPop Demon Hunters” and its accompanying soundtrack, South Korean popular culture stays a pressure to be reckoned with. And with toe-tapping hit songs and a family-friendly story, the film is a transparent signal that Korean leisure’s world presence is right here to remain.
“KPop Demon Hunters” is now streaming on Netflix (and it might but get a sequel).
