Virtual Idols Surpass Real K-pop Groups…Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” Achieves Historic Success

Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” is delivering historic results across global streaming, music charts, and media outlets. Released on June 20, the film topped Netflix in 40 countries worldwide right after its debut and remained at the global ranking’s summit through week four of its release, demonstrating exceptional commercial strength. A song performed by the idol group featuring the male protagonist reached number one on the U.S. Spotify chart — the first time this has happened for a K-pop “group.” Even BTS’s “Dynamite,” which previously only reached number three on that same streaming chart, was surpassed by this fictional idol group. One source described the situation as “very surreal,” noting that virtual idol groups have now attained levels unattained by real idol groups. The film’s original soundtrack reached position five on Billboard’s main album chart, the Billboard 200, by week four of release. In the 2020s, only the soundtracks for “Wicked,” “Barbie,” and “Encanto” have entered the top two on the Billboard 200. Thus, an animated soundtrack is swiftly dominating the real-world music market. Notably, during the chart period in question, this album accumulated 195.3 million streams, the highest number ever recorded for a soundtrack since “Encanto”’s soundtrack reached 114.67 million streams in March 2022. On South Korea’s leading music platform, Melon’s Top 100 chart, “Golden” took first place and “Soda Pop” secured second place, overtaking real idol groups to dominate the rankings. Seven tracks from the film’s soundtrack have even made it onto the U.S. Billboard singles chart, reflecting its widespread popularity. Kevin Woo, who was part of the group U-KISS and served as the vocalist for the characters known as the “Lion Boys” in the film, saw his monthly Spotify listener count soar from 10,000 to 20 million. He described acting as a virtual character as “extremely surreal,” adding that people often fail to recognize him as Kevin Woo or a K-pop artist. Kim Seok-young, a K-pop researcher at UCLA, stated that the success of “KPop Demon Hunters” shows that fans can interact with non-human idol characters and predicted that many imitations are likely to emerge in the future. The key to this success lies in the combination of fresh themes and universal storytelling. The plot follows a fictional three-member K-pop girl group named “Huntrix,” who act as heroes hunting evil spirits outside the stage, with the girls playing a role similar to shamans. This fusion of K-pop and Korean shamanism is a rare approach even in South Korea. On the global film review site Rotten Tomatoes, “KPop Demon Hunters” achieved a freshness rating of 96%, which is higher than that of recently released films such as “Squid Game 3” (85%) and “Substance,” which won the Cannes Film Festival’s screenplay award (89%). The film was co-directed by Canadian-Korean director Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, who is married to a Korean writer, with Korean composers and art directors contributing to its detailed execution. The protagonists eat gukbap when they are unwell, visit traditional Korean medicine clinics, and defeat evil spirits against the backdrop of Namsan Seoul Tower and Naksan Park’s fortress path. The film even includes details such as proper restaurant etiquette, such as using napkins and placing utensils correctly. The music production team was equally meticulous. The compositions were handled by The Black Label, owned by legendary producer Teddy Park, who has worked with K-pop stars including BIGBANG, G-Dragon, BLACKPINK, and 2NE1. It is said that the production team provided composers with detailed documents outlining scenes, characters’ emotions, and the reasons behind them, allowing the composers to create lyrics and music incorporating K-pop progression patterns. Kim Eun-jae (EJAE), who composed the song for the protagonist Rumi, is a composer who was once a trainee at SM and has worked on tracks like REDVELVET’s “Psycho” and aespa’s “Armageddon.” The craze surrounding this film has extended beyond popular culture to traditional culture as well. The tiger and magpie characters, who serve as messengers for the protagonists, were inspired by the traditional folk painting “Hojakdo,” and souvenir items modeled after these characters at the National Museum of Korea have already caused widespread out-of-stock situations. “Ilwolobongdo,” a painting that symbolizes the authority of kings and peaceful prosperity during the Joseon Dynasty, appears as the background artwork when protagonist Rumi sings the theme song. The “Soda Pop” dance challenge, featuring the lively dance song performed by the “Lion Boys” in the film, has gained momentum with participation from real idols such as TOURS and ZEROBASEONE, as well as the original choreographer Ha Seong-jin. A challenge that recreates the characters’ exact outfits and hairstyles to mimic a live-action version of “KPop Demon Hunters” has also become popular. Lee Byung-hun, who provided the voice for the character “Gwima,” said he was surprised by the film’s popularity exceeding expectations and noted that expressing subtle nuances in English posed a significant challenge. In the United States, “KPop Demon Hunters” is considered a strong contender for next year’s Academy Awards in the animated feature category and the original song category. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos stated during a earnings call that “Golden” and “Soda Pop” have become massive hits, and that virtual groups have actually developed real fanbases, adding that he is pleased to see how original animations can exert a strong influence on popular culture. Kim Seok-young of UCLA analyzed that this represents a long-held dream of K-pop companies, highlighting that these virtual idols never sleep, get sick, or age. However, Benny Cha, a K-pop producer and composer, emphasized the importance of real artists by stating that the vulnerability, chemistry, and unpredictability exhibited by real artists cannot be replicated.