K-Pop Fandom Meets Fantasy Adventure in Netflix’s Hit

KPop Demon Hunters has been climbing Netflix global rankings since it hit the platform in June. An animated action-adventure powered by catchy K-pop hits, the film already counts over 33 million streams within two weeks of release and has landed in the platform’s global top 10 in 93 countries, now ranking number 2 worldwide. Fans have already started creating artwork and merch, and calls for a sequel are growing online every day.

But the breakout sensation has spilled over onto real-world music charts as well. In the two weeks since its June 20 premiere, KPop Demon Hunters‘ fictitious all-female band Huntr/x and their less-than-heroic rivals Saja Boys have both topped charts for their respective nations and dominated real-world K-pop stalwarts BTS and Blackpink, with seven of the film’s songs charting on the Billboard Hot 100. On Spotify’s US chart, the two have taken the top two spots simultaneously, a feat that is virtually unheard of for fictional artists.

The film follows the three members of Huntr/x as they balance life as international superstars with the pressure of keeping the planet safe from the forces of evil. Clashes between Huntr/x and the Saja Boys play out against a backdrop of dazzling K-pop concert choreography, slick CGI action, and an underlying theme about friendship, trust, and staying true to yourself. The film has resonated with global audiences, and KPop Demon Hunters’ successful mix of humour, heartfelt moments, and fantasy has been a hit with viewers of all ages and nationalities.

Visually stunning and fast-paced, the film draws in new audiences, while the songs will likely keep them coming back. KPop Demon Hunters co-director Maggie Kang, who is Korean-Canadian, based the animated bands on some of the K-pop idols she grew up listening to, and music plays a core role in the story. Music, and K-pop in particular, is so ingrained in Korean culture that it could not be left out, according to Kang. The team looked at it as a tool for both comedy and storytelling. The power of song becomes literal for Huntr/x as they battle demons in an epic showdown. As a result, the music is so seamlessly incorporated into the story that it never takes viewers out of the moment.

“The way the music is integrated into the film’s themes and action is so natural that it’s an absolute joy to watch,” said Lashai Ben Salmi, a community leader who promotes the growth of Korean culture and language in Europe. “It gives the film a surprising level of maturity.” To ensure it reached that level, Kang and her fellow director Chris Appelhans worked with a Korean label, as well as Korean artists Teddy Park, who has worked with Blackpink, and Grammy award-winning Lindgren, who has produced music for BTS and TWICE among others, to craft original music that felt at home on a K-pop charts as much as in the story.

Amber Jane Butchart, for instance, spent more than half a year listening to artists from K-pop, hip-hop, and beyond to make that soundtrack work in a narrative and come up with songs that she, a musical theater composer, could use in her projects. Amanda Golka, a Los Angeles-based content creator who is not particularly into K-pop, can attest to the music’s reach. “I have been blasting the soundtrack from Spotify every time I’m in the car,” she says. “I’m not necessarily a fan of the K-pop genre, but I am obsessed with this soundtrack. It’s fascinating how music can be such a universal language.”

Korean Culture Goes Mainstream

Authenticity in Korean culture and language has been another key to the movie’s success. K-pop, K-dramas, and Korean cinema have been big in the US and other Western markets for several years, but this latest film from Netflix takes things a step further. The film weaves many small scenes that incorporate Korean culture into the story, including traditional customs like sitting on the floor to eat, but also more modern references like moments at South Korea’s historic city walls, hanuiwon clinics, public bathhouses, or Namsan Tower, a popular observation tower and hot spot for K-pop music videos and TV shows.

The choices go far beyond stereotypical and give Korean viewers the kind of respectful, accurate representation they don’t often see on screen, according to Golka, who had consulted with experts from South Korea and is of half Korean and half Taiwanese descent.

Filming for the feature began in the US and Canada, but the production team spent months earlier in 2023 in South Korea to get it right. The team visited folk villages, shot streetscapes in Myeongdong, and studied hanbok clothing for use in the film. Although the characters speak English in the final cut, their lip movements are more in sync with Korean pronunciation, their facial expressions reflect Korean reactions, and certain scenes use Korean words or lyrics.

There are many more layers to KPop Demon Hunter’s attention to Korean culture, which has been shown through the detailed animation to music choice. The film’s two bands, Huntr/x and the Saja Boys, both wear different traditional clothes and hairstyles that match their characters. In their performances, Huntr/x wear folk-inspired dresses and traditional Korean fans, while Saja Boys don punk rock samurai outfits.

The film’s references to Korean culture go beyond music and costuming. Huntr/x’s swords and fans are weapons of Mudang, Korean shamans; the Saja Boys remind viewers of Korea’s Grim Reaper. Many symbols from Korean folklore make appearances in the film, including Dangsan trees and Dokkaebi goblins, along with folk-inspired, guardian mascots Derpy the tiger and Sussy the magpie.