Netflix Animation “KPop Demon Hunters” Sets Historical Records; OST “Golden” Dominates UK and US Charts

Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” has established a new milestone in streaming platform history. Since its release on June 20, it has accumulated 325.1 million views, becoming the most-watched Netflix film ever and ranking first among all films and series overall. This figure far exceeds the second-highest performer, “Red Notice,” which has 230.9 million views. The film’s theme song, “Golden,” performed by the fictional K-pop girl group HUNTR/X, is sweeping global music charts. “Golden” topped Billboard’s main singles chart, the Hot 100, for a total of 8 weeks, marking the first time in two years that a K-pop song reached the summit of the Hot 100 and the first time a K-pop girl group’s song achieved this position. Additionally, it surpassed Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” on the UK Official Singles Chart, holding the top spot for 9 non-consecutive weeks. The success of “Golden” is the result of collaboration among several industry veterans in the K-pop sector. Renowned K-pop producers Teddy, IDIO, and 2PO, along with the film’s lead voice actor Lee Jae, contributed to its lyrics and composition. American composer Mark Sonnenblick also helped write nearly all songs in the film’s soundtrack, except for “Take Down” and “Soda Pop.” In an interview, Sonnenblick explained, “‘Golden’ was written last, completed quickly after trying six different versions,” adding that the emotion behind the song stemmed from the ironic moment in the film where the character Rumi, while hiding her true identity, sings the line “No more hiding.” The overall success of the soundtrack is equally remarkable. On Billboard’s 200 album chart, the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack rose from second place to number one on September 20 and currently remains in second place after 18 weeks, behind Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl.” It is rare for an animated film soundtrack to stay on the chart for such a long time at a high position. This is the first time since the “Encanto” soundtrack held the top spot for 9 non-consecutive weeks from January 15 to March 19, 2022. The theater sing-along event also was a huge success. Approximately 39,377 audience members attended the special “KPop Demon Hunters” sing-along screening held over four days at 130 CJ CGV theaters nationwide from last month’s 31st to November 2nd. Children dressed as the film’s demon-hunting girl group HUNTR/X or the evil boy group Sazaboyz made up the majority of attendees, with a particularly large group of around 40,000 people singing together during the “Golden” chorus scene. Beyond music charts, the film has also had a significant cultural impact. Elements of Korean traditional culture featured in the movie, such as gats, Haetae tigers, and dokkaebi characters, have attracted worldwide attention and become new symbols of Hallyu. Furthermore, with Netflix and Sony reportedly working on a sequel, the success story of “KPop Demon Hunters” is expected to continue. The film’s lead actors are already moving on to their next projects, with May Hong, who portrayed HUNTR/X, confirming her role in the K-pop thriller “Perfect Girl,” described as having a “Scream meets Black Swan” style.