Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” Ranks as Most-Watched Title Ever; “Golden” Holds No. 1 on Billboard for 8 Weeks

Netflix’s animated film <KPop Demon Hunters> has achieved a historic milestone. Released on June 20, the movie surpassed 325 million views within four months, overtaking “Squid Game” to become Netflix’s most-watched film in its history. The film’s success extended to its soundtrack as well. The theme song “Golden” by the fictional K-pop girl group HUNTR/X topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for eight consecutive weeks. This marks the longest period a cartoon character’s song has held the top spot, second only to The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar” in the 1960s. “Golden” is also recorded as the first female K-pop song to reach No. 1 on Billboard and has received platinum certification. Notably, multiple songs from the film entered the top ranks of various charts simultaneously. “Golden,” “Your Idol,” “Soda Pop,” and “How It’s Done” all made it into the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time, a feat even the famous musical film “Saturday Night Fever” has not achieved. “Golden” also dominated the UK Official Singles Chart for eight weeks. The commercial success of “KPop Demon Hunters” continued in theaters. The singalong version released in August earned approximately $18 million in just two weeks, becoming the first Netflix film to top the U.S. box office. It was later re-released from October 31 to November 2 at major American theaters such as AMC, Regal, and Cinemark for Halloween singalong shows, with AMC planning to show it in around 400 theaters. This collaboration represents the first major partnership between Netflix and AMC. The voice actors of “KPop Demon Hunters” — EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami — were at the forefront of its international expansion. They appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on October 7 to celebrate “Golden’s” success and participated in a SNL special sketch. In particular, EJAE, who had trained as a Trainee at SM Entertainment for over a decade before facing debut setbacks, opened up a new path as a composer and artist thanks to this success. He explained his decision to include Korean lyrics in “Golden” by saying, “I wanted to showcase Korean culture.” He added, “American kids didn’t know where Korea was when they were young. I got so angry that I practiced Korean hard, and I’m extremely grateful and proud to see such great results.” Liz Schmidt, president of the K-pop club at Iowa State University, said, “Thanks to ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ liking K-pop is becoming normalized. Before, people were mocked for openly saying they were K-pop fans, but now many new faces are joining our club.” She also noted that K-pop has helped improve the way Asians are portrayed in the United States. “In the past, there was very little representation of Asians in media, and when it did appear, it often featured stereotypes or harmful content. The visibility of K-pop is helping to remove these negative labels.” Director Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans are optimistic about potential sequels. Director Kang said, “There’s definitely more we can do with the characters in this universe. Since we couldn’t cover all of HUNTR/X’s past stories, we want to delve deeper into those aspects in a follow-up film.” However, they ruled out a live-action adaptation. Kang explained, “The tone and comedy of this film contain many elements that are perfect for animation. If it were made in live action, it would be too realistic and the atmosphere would be completely ruined.” The possibility of an Oscar nomination has also been discussed. The film holds a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was named a strong contender for Best Animated Feature on the U.S. award prediction site Gold Derby. Netflix has confirmed “Golden” as its submission for the Song of the Year award, and EJAE is eager to win a Grammy Award. He said, “We intentionally made a pop-oriented song because we wanted to show HUNTR/X debuting in the real world.” Rei Ami, a graduate of the University of Maryland who grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, is now a singer and rapper based in Los Angeles. She released her solo album “Foil” in 2021 and appeared on Sub Urban’s single “Freak” in 2020, which accumulated nearly 300 million views on YouTube. She said, “As a child, I wanted to pursue music but thought I couldn’t, but now I get to sing ‘Golden’ with fans around the world at H Mart.” Referring to her similarities with the character Joy, she explained, “She may seem like a wild animal on stage, but in reality, she’s very kind, positive, and fun. That’s my two sides.” Beyond this, the cultural impact of “KPop Demon Hunters” continues. Everland, in collaboration with Netflix, launched the “KPop Demon Hunters Singalong Fireworks Show” on October 12, following the theme zone opened on September 26. Equipped with a giant 24-meter-long and 11-meter-high LED screen and an immersive sound system, the show lasts about 11 minutes and features a medley of hit songs such as “Golden,” “How It’s Done,” “Soda Pop,” and “Your Idol.” The amount of fireworks was increased by 25% to visually represent a golden halo, and the show is structured as a singalong experience where fans join in singing. Since its opening, the theme zone has attracted around 40,000 visitors, and 38 types of limited-edition collaboration merchandise are also very popular. Yoto Player, a children’s audio platform, released a player card featuring the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack on October 15. It includes all the hit songs and the original cast vocals, priced at $14.99. EJAE, Rei Ami, and Audrey Nuna talked about the music preparation process, their favorite songs, and the global rise of K-pop in the Yoto Daily podcast.