On paper, a movie like KPop Demon Hunters shouldn’t really work as well as it does. It’s an animated sing-along geared towards kids, with an almost outrageous storyline about a trio of demon-hunting K-pop stars who are forced to go toe-to-toe with a group of demons masquerading as very, very hot K-pop idols (What was the elevator pitch for this?). Sony sold the movie’s rights to Netflix in what seemed to be, at the time, a decent deal to ensure that KPop Demon Hunters would do decently on the streaming platform.
However, the animated feature did much better than expected. As of writing, Netflix has reported that the film has a total of 236 million views, making it the platform’s most-watched movie of all time (and leaving behind the last most-watched movie, that strange Gal Gadot-led action flick Red Notice, in the dust). Its recent two-day sing-along theatrical release in North America earned roughly $20 million.
Four of the songs on KPop Demon Hunters’ killer soundtrack — “Golden,” “Your Idol,” “Soda Pop,” and “How It’s Done” — continue to stake their claim on Billboard Hot 100’s Top 10 list, two months after its initial streaming release (“Golden” and “Soda Pop” also still hold Top 10 spots on the Billboard Philippines Hot 100). Sony reportedly ended up making only $20 million on its deal with Netflix; however, have no fear, as the studio is in talks with the streamer once again for an upcoming sequel.
But more than its financial success, KPop Demon Hunters has achieved what very few animated features have managed to do: embed itself into the international pop culture hive mind. It has turned every fan, regardless of age, race, or generation, into a dedicated, die-hard Hunter (the fan name for the movie’s all-girl K-pop group, HUNTR/X). In the Philippines alone, the movie has spawned countless watch parties, fan events, and love for its Filipino dubbed version.
Global Equalizer
KPop Demon Hunters is currently acting as a sort of global equalizer, delighting audiences with its surprisingly universal take on identity, culture, and that ongoing fight between good and evil. As The New York Times’ Euny Hong wrote, “I found that this worldwide blockbuster isn’t the sloppy, West-kowtowing sellout I had assumed it would be. Rather, it might be proof that we are living in a post-multicultural world — or at least that pop culture has normalized imagining such a world within reach.”
And perhaps this is just me waving my fist in the air, but animated movies just aren’t what they used to be. Yes, they continue to be box office hits, like Disney’s Lilo and Stitch live-action remake (which brought in over $1 billion), Moana 2 (also over $1 billion), and, well, every attempt Disney makes at rehashing its old, beloved IPs. However, there was a time when a Disney movie was guaranteed to be a quotable, cultural classic (think Frozen and all the endless karaoke sessions of “Let It Go,” which took home an Oscar): but the past is the past.
There are a few stragglers that prove that an animated hit doesn’t have to come from Disney. There’s the Latvian animated movie Flow, which follows a silent cat on a magical journey through a flood, and which won Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars this year. There’s Sony’s Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, which popularized its new, trippy style of animation, sported a killer soundtrack (“Sunflower” was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and brought in 20 million sales), and proved that an animated movie about parallel universe Spider-Men could turn into everyone’s favorite obsession. I’m also tempted to throw in The Lego Movie for its memeability (“President Business stole the craggle, blah blah blah”), and older meme-able stoner movies like The Bee Movie and Shrek, but perhaps this would impact my credibility as a culture writer.
But KPop Demon Hunters seems to be surpassing its predecessors in terms of its global scope and pulse on the culture, despite being an ultra-specific story about Korean demons, idol groups, and K-pop. “Regardless of the Korean setting, the message of the movie and many of the songs is universal and something everyone can relate to,” said EJAE, the K-pop singer who lends her singing voice for the movie’s main character Rumi, in an interview with Time (that same article is titled, very aptly, How KPop Demon Hunters Conquered The World).
That universal message EJAE’s pointing out is, despite the current state of global affairs, very hopeful. KPop Demon Hunters dedicates a good chunk of its story and hit singles to spotlighting the power of a group that often feels powerless against nefarious forces and the like: the fans. The K-pop industry wouldn’t hold its status of success without the fans that fuel it. And, just as the fans within the KPop Demon Hunters universe use their love for HUNTR/X to help them defeat the demons, we fans keep the world of pop culture turning.
