K-POP Boom Drives Theater Reboots of Musical Shows, Halloween Costume Trends, and Singers’ Dominance on Hot Stage Charts

K-POP culture is sparking a surge of enthusiasm both globally and in South Korea. Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” is undergoing theater reairings, leading U.S. Halloween costume trends, and having Korean singers top music stage charts—all driving intense fan reactions across multiple fronts. Netflix will hold special screenings of “KPop Demon Hunters: The Sing-Along” in theaters from October 31 to November 2 over a three-day period. The shows will be shown at major theaters nationwide including AMC, Regal, and CinemaMark, with tickets going on sale starting October 17. Industry publication Variety deemed these theater screenings significant because major U.S. theaters are typically reluctant to show Netflix films. The movie generated $18 million in box office revenue in the United States alone over two days during its initial theater release. Fans are highly eager to return to theaters, with reactions ranging from enthusiastic responses like “K-POP demon hunters and karaoke? I’d sell my soul” to praise such as “It was the best theater experience ever.” U.S. Halloween costume choices also reflect the K-POP boom. According to Google’s annual “Praytgeist” report, the characters from “KPop Demon Hunters” were the most searched-for Halloween costumes across the United States in 2025. Rumi, Joy, Mira, Jino, and Baby Lion made it into the top 5 most popular costumes nationwide. In Utah specifically, four out of the five favorite costumes among residents were inspired by characters from the film, with Labubu also appearing on the list. Even among young Trick-or-Treaters, Rumi is the most desired costume, while the film character Duffy Tiger ranked second in pet costume popularity. This shows that K-POP content is dominating U.S. Halloween culture, surpassing traditional costumes like witches, superheroes, and skeletons. K-POP’s influence is also evident on South Korean music stages. Singer Lee Chan-won claimed first place on SBS’s “Inkigayo” October monthly Hot Stage chart. He performed his comeback stage with the new song “Today Somehow” on episode 1287 of “Inkigayo,” which aired on October 26, and that performance topped the Hot Stage chart based on fan voting. He then repeated this achievement by winning first place again with the same song on episode 1288, which aired on November 2, securing him as the October monthly winner. As a reward for this success, Lee Chan-won received a giant billboard ad on Gangnam-daero and a first-place trophy; the ad is set to be displayed on the signage at Gyobo Tower intersection from December 26 to 28. Meanwhile, Lee Chan-won released his second full album “Chanran” on the 20th of last month, achieving a record-breaking initial sales figure of 610,000 copies and setting a new career high, with three consecutive half-million seller albums.