'K-Pop Demon Hunters' Exceeds 300 Million Views, Setting a New Record for Netflix

'K-Pop Demon Hunters' has established the highest viewing record in Netflix history, demonstrating the global influence of K-pop. Released in June, this animated film surpassed the previous record held by Season 1 of 'Squid Game,' which ranked first among all Netflix movies and series, by reaching 300 million cumulative views. The work is a fusion of two global cultural phenomena: K-pop and animation. The film tells the story of three members of the K-pop girl group Huntrix—Rumi (voiced by Arden Cho), Mira (voiced by May Hong), and Zoey (voiced by Jin-Young Yoo)—who serve as hidden heroes protecting the world behind the dazzling stages. While captivating hundreds of thousands of fans with their large-scale performances, they also undertake the mission of defending humanity from Gwi-Ma, the demon king who seeks to absorb evil souls (played by Lee Byung-hun from 'Squid Game'). Created as Sony Pictures Animation’s first original film, it was produced by director Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans following their success with the mega-hit 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' (2023). The film captivated audiences with its distinctive K-pop sounds, electrifying action sequences, and compelling storytelling. Huntrix’s vocals were handled by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami. Its performance on charts was equally impressive. The track 'Golden,' included in the OST, stayed at number one on the global Spotify chart for 76 consecutive days and accumulated over 850 million streams within four months. It topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for eight weeks and also reached number one on the UK Official Singles Chart. The OST album 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' held the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart for seven consecutive weeks. The success of 'Golden' symbolizes the recent global impact of K-pop music. Three out of the six songs that quickly reached over 1 million streams on Spotify are associated with K-pop artists: Rosé and Bruno Mars’s 'APT.', Jung Kook and Latto’s 'Seven,' and BTS’s 'Butter.' The album sales performance of K-pop idols is also noteworthy. Over the past decade, only four women—Taylor Swift, Adele, Black Pink’s Jisoo, and Jennie—have sold over 1 million albums per week. Behind K-pop’s global success lies strategic changes within the industry. Major K-pop labels such as HYBE have strengthened distribution and promotion outside Asia through global strategic partnerships with Universal since 2021. SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment have also established or expanded their offices in Los Angeles. Song production has shifted from Korea to the United States, and the primary language of lyrics has changed from Korean to English. Additionally, new-generation K-pop groups consist of multinational members, including non-Asian members like those in HYBE’s latest project, Katseye. The film’s success also led to its release in theaters. The singalong version of 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' underwent a second round of theatrical screenings, generating box office earnings of $17 million to $18 million last August. It was shown in major U.S. cinemas such as AMC, Regal, and Cinemark during recent Halloween weekends. Netflix is actively pursuing further commercialization of 'K-Pop Demon Hunters,' appointing Mattel and Hasbro as global co-master toy licensees.