KPop Demon Hunters Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Film Ever; OST “Golden” Dominates Billboard and UK Charts

Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” has accumulated over 236 million views since its release on June 20, making it the most-watched title in Netflix’s film catalog to date. It surpassed the action thriller “Red Notice,” which was released in November 2021 and had 230.9 million views, to take the top spot. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, the film follows a fictional K-pop trio girl group named HUNTR/X as they use their music and fighting skills to protect the human world from evil spirits. Although the movie held a relatively low-key showcase at the Netflix Tudum theater in Los Angeles in June, it gained massive popularity due to viral videos and memes spread across social media throughout the summer. Its striking animation style and seamless integration of traditional and modern Korean culture have been highly praised. Perhaps its greatest appeal lies in its addictive K-pop tracks. Some of the included songs were created by veteran K-pop producers and composers who have previously collaborated with groups such as BTS and TWICE. Director Maggie Kang, a Korean-Canadian, said in a past interview that she hoped the music in the film would be “not only amazing but also accessible to K-pop fans and truly fit within the K-pop genre.” The film’s track “Golden” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this month and remains at the top of the Spotify Global chart as of now. It also held the number one spot on the UK Official Singles Chart for four non-consecutive weeks, becoming the K-pop song that stayed at the top the longest in British chart history. This is the second K-pop single to reach number one on the UK chart since Psy’s “Gangnam Style” in 2012. Along with “Golden,” “Your Idol” by the group “Lion Boyz,” portrayed as HUNTR/X’s rivals in the film, also topped the U.S. Spotify chart. As a result, both HUNTR/X and Lion Boyz surpassed even BTS and BLACKPINK to become the female and male K-pop groups with the highest rankings in U.S. Spotify history. “KPop Demon Hunters” is the first film to have four of its tracks simultaneously enter the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it also set a record for the highest streaming week among soundtracks on the Billboard 200 album chart. Last weekend, Netflix released a “singalong” version of the film in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, allowing viewers to sing along to the songs. This marked the first time Netflix’s content secured the number one spot on the U.S. box office. Singer Odee Nu-nah commented on the success of “Golden,” saying, “I clearly remember feeling that this project was going to be a huge success,” and added, “I never imagined it would go beyond its original scope and be embraced globally.” She also expressed surprise at the possibility of the song being nominated for an Academy Award, saying, “God and the universe work in truly mysterious ways,” and noted, “It’s amazing that it could even be considered for a Grammy nomination, let alone an Oscar one.” Discussions regarding a sequel have already begun.