Netflix’s “KPOP Demon Hunters” Exceeds 325 Million Views; Unprecedented Toy Licensing Deal with Mattel and Hasbro

Netflix’s animated film “KPOP Demon Hunters” has accumulated 325 million views worldwide 91 days after its release in June, establishing itself as Netflix’s most popular film to date. The movie is an animated musical that follows K-pop superstars the Huntrixes — Rumi, Mira, and Joy — as they use their demon-exorcising abilities to protect the world behind the scenes. The film’s success extended to its music as well. Its soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 albums chart and has been streamed 830 million times globally. In particular, the single “Golden” became the longest-charting number one song for a female group on the 21st century Billboard Hot 100. Performed by Korean-American musicians such as Ije, Audrey NuNa, and Lay Aimi, the song remained at number one for seven consecutive weeks and stayed on the Hot 100 chart for a total of eight weeks, including non-consecutive periods, while remaining on the chart for 17 weeks in total. Amid this global craze, Netflix announced on October 21 that it had appointed Mattel and Hasbro as its global co-master toy license holders. This marks the first and unprecedented collaboration of its kind in the industry. Mattel will develop and distribute products across various categories, including dolls, action figures, accessories, collectibles, playsets, and joint brand collaborations. Pre-sales for three Huntrixes doll sets will begin on the Mattel Creation platform starting November 12. Hasbro will release special functional stuffed toys, teen-oriented electronic products, role-play items, and a special edition of Monopoly Deal. Pre-orders for Monopoly Deal KPOP Demon Hunters are available starting October 21, with deliveries set for January 1, 2026. All products are scheduled to hit stores in the spring of 2026. The collaboration is expanding beyond the toy industry into other fields. Nongshim launched products featuring Shin Ramyun and conducted a large-scale global campaign in New York’s Times Square. Using a giant digital outdoor screen there, Nongshim displayed ads for the Shin Ramyun collaboration, offered taste tests of Shin Ramyun Tomba and Ssaukkang using instant noodle makers, and set up photo booths featuring the characters along with SNS follow-up events. The collaborative packaging was released sequentially in global markets, starting in South Korea at the end of August, followed by the Americas in mid-September, Europe, and Australia. During the Halloween season, costumes based on the film’s main characters became extremely popular. According to Google Trends analysis, the costumes of the three Huntrixes members ranked first to third in search volume during this year’s Halloween season, and they also held top positions in searches for children’s Halloween costumes. Netflix sold character costume merchandise such as Rumi’s yellow jacket, tank top, shorts, and boots, Mira’s brightly decorated T-shirt and yellow skirt, and Joy’s strap blue top and colorful printed pants. As reported, these items were already out of stock online since their release in early October. However, Nancy Wang-Yuen, an American sociologist and cultural critic, expressed concern in an NBC interview that marketing the character costumes merely as trendy Halloween outfits could dilute their cultural significance, given that “KPOP Demon Hunters” draws inspiration from Korean traditions. Meanwhile, to coincide with Halloween, the film was reshown in a singalong version from October 31 to November 2 in theaters across more than 400 locations in the United States, as well as in key countries such as South Korea, the United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, and Australia.