Netflix’s “KPOP Demon Hunters” Achieves Global Success with 325 Million Views and OST Reigning at No. 1 for Three Months Straight

The Sony-produced and Netflix-distributed animated film “KPOP Demon Hunters” has recorded the largest global success in history. Since its release on Netflix at the end of August, it has accumulated 325 million views, making it the most-watched film in Netflix’s history. The film depicts a supernatural music battle between a trio of Korean female demon hunters known as Huntr/x and a male boy band called Lion Boys over humanity’s souls. Its unique worldview, which blends Korean Musok traditions with modern K-pop culture, has won over audiences worldwide. Anji Ho, an anthropology and religious studies professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School, described the film as a “cultural phenomenon that elevated Musok traditions to the global K-pop stage.” The film’s soundtrack has completely dominated the Billboard charts. Huntr/x’s song “Golden” has topped the Billboard Top Movie Songs chart for three consecutive months and is currently ranked third on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This prolonged dominance from August through October demonstrates its strong staying power as a cultural phenomenon even three months after its release. The entire OST album first entered the Billboard 200 chart in September and took home the top spot, maintaining that position in the chart on October 11 as well. Key songs from the film such as “Soda Pop,” “How It’s Done,” and “Your Idol” accounted for seven of the top 10 spots on the Billboard Top Movie Songs chart. This global popularity has also directly impacted Netflix’s financial results. The company’s revenue for the third quarter reached $11.5 billion, a 17% increase from the same period last year, while its net profit amounted to $2.5 billion, an 8% rise from $2.36 billion in the third quarter of 2024. Netflix executives cited the success of “KPOP Demon Hunters” as a key factor behind this strong performance. This cultural phenomenon is also leading to productization. On the 21st, Netflix signed contracts with toy manufacturers Mattel and Hasbro. Mattel will produce dolls, action figures, accessories, collectibles, and playsets, while Hasbro will handle puppet shows, electronic products, and board games. However, since product manufacturing typically takes about 18 months, these items will not be available for the 2025 Christmas season and are scheduled to be released in phases starting in the spring of 2026. The film is also expanding its theatrical screenings. From Halloween weekend, October 31st to November 2nd, a sing-along version will be shown again at major theater chains in the United States and Canada such as AMC, Regal, and Cinemark. It is also set to be shown in theaters around the world, including South Korea, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand. In South Korea, CGV will hold special sing-along screenings at over 100 theaters nationwide, handing out limited-edition A3 posters to attendees on a first-come, first-served basis. The OST is available not only on music streaming platforms like Apple and Spotify but also in card format on a children’s screen-free audio platform called Yoto. The Yoto cards feature music from the film’s key tracks “Golden” and “Soda Pop,” totaling 37 minutes of content, and cost $14.99. Yoto also invited the voice actors of the film’s main characters—E-Tion as Rami, Lay as Joy, and O.de as Mira—to appear on its podcast “Yoto Daily.” “KPOP Demon Hunters” serves as an example of how the global influence of Hallyu culture has evolved from a mere trend into mainstream entertainment. The fact that seven-year-olds in Chicago are singing the film’s songs in Korean lyrics indicates that K-pop and Korean culture have penetrated as universal forms of entertainment for all age groups.