Netflix Animation “KPop Demon Hunters” Ranks #1 in Global Views and #3 on Billboard OST Chart

The Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” set in the K-pop world, has sparked a global phenomenon since its release on June 20, topping global view counts. As of last week, it remained at the top of Netflix’s global movie chart for the second and a half weeks straight. The film’s original soundtrack is dominating American music charts. It reached #3 on the Billboard 200, rising 5 spots from the previous week — the highest ranking ever achieved by an animated soundtrack since “Encanto” held the top spot for 9 weeks in 2022. A total of 62,000 album units were sold during the tracking period, marking a 97% increase compared to the prior week. Songs from the fictional K-pop groups in the film have all entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously. “Golden” by the girl group HUNTR/X jumped from #81 last week to #23, while “Your Idol” by the boy group SAZA BOYZ rose from #77 to #31. Additionally, “How It Dun” (#42), “Soda Pop” (#49), “What It Sounds Like” (#55), “Free” (#58), and “Take Down” (#64) made new entries, bringing the total number of songs on the Hot 100 to 7. This is similar to the phenomenon seen with “Encanto”’s soundtrack in 2021, when multiple tracks entered at once, but it is the first time fictional K-pop groups have surpassed real K-pop groups in performance. “Your Idol” also topped Spotify’s U.S. Daily Top Song chart, setting a new milestone for K-pop groups. Previously, BTS’s “Dynamite” held the highest rank at #3. On Spotify’s global chart, four OST tracks — “Golden” (#2), “Your Idol” (#4), and two others — are within the top 10. Streaming numbers reached 33 million downloads within two weeks of the film’s release, and seven OST songs are in the top 20 on Spotify’s daily chart. This achievement holds special significance in American music history as well. With fictional K-pop groups breaking records set by real K-pop artists, music critics noted that “these well-crafted summer songs resonated with fans worldwide and carry the emotional tone of idol groups from the late 1990s and early 2000s like Destiny’s Child, Backstreet Boys, and ENHYPEN, making them suitable for entire families to enjoy.” The craze continues on short-form platforms as well. Over 52 million challenge videos tagged with hashtags such as #DemonHunters and #SodaPopChallenge have been posted on TikTok. Real K-pop stars like BTS’s RM, TWICE, ZEROBASEONE, and MONSTA X have also shared their own challenge videos, accelerating the spread of the trend. Many real K-pop professionals contributed to the OST. TWICE’s Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung sang a remix version of “Take Down,” and a song by the duo Melomance was included in the film. Producers like Teddy, who created the success for BLACKPINK, along with composers Kush, 24, Vince, and Danny Jung from The Black Label, handled the production of key tracks. Netflix has decided to officially submit the film’s theme song “Golden” for consideration in the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song was co-created by American-Korean composer Lee Jae (whose Korean name is Kim Eun-jae), who was once a Trainee at SM Entertainment, and Mark Ronson. If Lee Jae wins the award, he will become the first K-pop artist to receive an Oscar. “Golden” has accumulated over 58 million streams on Spotify alone. Interest in the film is extremely high among American teenagers. Messages urging friends to watch the movie were exchanged even during final exam weeks, and more fans are watching it multiple times as summer vacation approaches. American students who can read Korean are also emerging, and some teens show a deep curiosity about Korean culture. The film received a critic rating of 95% and a audience rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.