HUNTR/X’s “Golden” Claims 3 Consecutive Weeks at No. 1 on Hot 100, Setting New Record for K-POP Film Soundtracks

A K-POP film soundtrack has achieved historic success on the U.S. Billboard charts. HUNTR/X’s “Golden” held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for three straight weeks, marking the first time a female group associated with Korean pop has dominated this chart. HUNTR/X is a female singing trio composed of EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI, who portray characters in the film “K-POP Demon Hunters.” When “Golden” first entered the chart, it became the first group of three or more women to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100. This marks the first time such a feat has occurred in 24 years, since Destiny’s Child topped the chart for two weeks in August 2001 with “Bootylicious.” The soundtrack for “K-POP Demon Hunters” also set another milestone by becoming the first film music release to have four songs simultaneously enter the Hot 100 top 10 in one week. BTS’s “Your Idol” and “Soda Pop” remain at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively, while HUNTR/X’s “How It Was Done” rose from No. 10 to No. 9. Notably, this soundtrack is the second to have three songs inside the Hot 100 top 5 for two consecutive weeks. This is the first time such a record has been set since the soundtrack for “Saturday Night Fever” did so on April 8 and 15, 1978. “Golden” achieved its strong performance from August 22 to 28, based on 35,118,910 units of online big data. Streaming numbers reached 35,300,000, a 4% increase from the previous week, while radio plays totaled 19,700,000, showing a 21% rise. Sales volume increased by 11% to 9,000 units, demonstrating significant commercial success. In South Korea as well, K-POP music tracks are receiving high levels of popularity. In the 2025 “K-Brand Index” K-POP music category released by the Asia Brand Research Institute, Jennie’s “Like Jenny” came in first place. This ranking was determined by analyzing 51,118,910 units of online big data from January 2025, indicating that public preference rather than just a strong fanbase influenced the outcome.