“KPOP Demon Hunters” Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Content Ever; OST “Golden” Holds Billboard No. 1 for Three Weeks

Netflix’s animated film “KPOP Demon Hunters” has become the most-watched content on the platform across both film and show categories. According to Netflix’s official statistics site Tubemogul on the 3rd, “KPOP Demon Hunters” has accumulated 266 million views, surpassing “Squid Game Season 1,” which was released in 2021 and had 265.2 million views. The film quickly overtook its predecessor by gaining an additional 30.1 million views last week (August 25–31), achieving this record just 75 days after its release on June 20. Since Netflix ranks content based on cumulative views over 91 days after release, further record-breaking is expected as two weeks of tracking remain. “KPOP Demon Hunters,” a musical animated film in which the K-pop girl group KPop Demon Hunters uses songs to protect the human world from evil spirits, received praise for its realistic portrayal of K-pop culture and the landscapes of Korean cities. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation in the United States and directed by Canadian-Korean filmmaker Maggie Kang, the work was praised for its engaging depiction of K-pop idols and Korean folk beliefs such as Musok faith. The success of the film’s original soundtrack, “Golden,” is also notable. “Golden” has held the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 main singles chart for three consecutive weeks, tying with BTS’s “Dynamite.” “KPOP Demon Hunters” became the first content to dominate both Netflix and Billboard, two major platforms representing American popular culture. The film’s popularity extended to additional content as well. Special “singalong” screenings, where audiences sing along to the songs during the movie, were successfully held in the United States from the 23rd to the 24th of last month. A separate singalong version was also released on Netflix. The release of this version caused weekly view counts to surge from 25.4 million in the previous week to 30.1 million, setting the highest weekly viewing record since the film’s release. A report cited reactions from older generations, stating, “I was initially reluctant to watch a K-pop movie because of my child’s insistence, but now I’m the one more deeply engaged.” The British BBC emphasized that, “The story of growing up while searching for identity resonates with people who are not familiar with K-pop or Korean culture, and the perfect details have sparked pride in Korea.”