'KPop Demon Hunters' Sets Netflix Record for Highest Viewership Ever, Dominates Music Charts

Netflix’s animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" is achieving the best results in the platform’s history. In August, Netflix announced that this work was the most popular Netflix film ever, and in October, it confirmed that the cumulative viewership had exceeded 325 million. Since its release on June 20, it has entered the TOP10 in over 90 countries and topped the charts in more than 40 countries, sparking a global phenomenon. Its performance on music charts is particularly notable. The title track "Golden," performed by the fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix from the film, held the first place on the U.S. Billboard main single chart, the Hot 100, for a total of 8 weeks, setting a record for K-pop girl groups. This is also the first time in two years that a K-pop artist has reached the top of the Hot 100. "Golden" also topped the UK Official Singles Top 100 chart from October 31 to November 6, achieving a record of 9 non-consecutive weeks at number one. The song overtook Taylor Swift’s new track "The Fate of Ophelia" to regain the top spot. Other tracks from the same album, including "How It’s Done" at position 10, "What It Sounds Like" at position 13, and Twice’s "Take Down" at position 92, also performed well. "Golden" was written and composed by key K-pop producers such as Teddy, along with IDO, 24, and Lee Jae. The entire soundtrack is also achieving strong results on Billboard’s main album chart. "KPop Demon Hunters" OST remains in second place, following Taylor Swift’s "The Life of a Showgirl" which held the top spot for four consecutive weeks, and has been on the chart for 19 consecutive weeks. During this chart period, it recorded 84,000 album units sold. "KPop Demon Hunters" is an action fantasy animation featuring K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira, and Joy as heroes who hunt demons behind the scenes to protect the world. Leveraging the film’s popularity, Netflix has planned two limited screenings and is supplying movie-related toys and merchandise in stores through partnerships with Hasbro and Mattel. Everland, a large theme park near Seoul, has created a movie-themed zone in collaboration with Netflix, offering activities like mole hunting, dance games, and snacks from the film, resulting in long queues that last for hours. Danny Chung, a K-pop producer and voice actor for the film character Baby Saja, said, "People watch 'KPop Demon Hunters' despite its K-pop title and then realize they have become K-pop fans. Now they have a 30-year catalog of K-pop music to explore."