While “KPop Demon Hunters” found its start on Netflix, it was given a limited theater release on the weekend of April 23 and 24, reaching between $16-18 million in ticket sales according to some reports. The movie follows Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, who make up a K-Pop girl band called “Huntr/x” and fight demons. The movie has a very real chance of being nominated for an Oscar based on some sources, while its soundtrack has music that has stayed in the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. This has become a worldwide pop culture phenomenon with a massive fan base consisting of all ages.
Huntr/x is a worldwide phenomenon both in real life and within the movie. They are a generational demon hunting trio that was formed back in feudal Korea and has continued to exist since with previous hunters training their successors to hunt demons and protect the world from the Demon King, Gwi-Ma. The voice actors are all Korean or part Korean but have a different voice actor and singing voice for each featured character.
The album features nine original songs, debuted at number one on Billboard’s Soundtracks Chart and ranked eighth on the all-genre Billboard 200. Not only have the songs been a hit, but the movie itself has made Netflix history. It debuted on June 20, but in just that first week of June 21-27, it hit 26.3 million views according to Netflix reports, making it the most watched movie in the platform’s history.
Netflix declared 18 years ago that they would not release any of its original content to theaters, but with the immense success and demand from fans, that promise was broken to give the fans what they wanted in the form of a sing-along release to select theaters. The Korea Economic Daily reported that “Golden,” an original song from the movie, “logged 33.8 million streams, up three percent from the prior week, while its radio audience surged 39 percent to 16.2 million,” and “digital sales rose 11 percent to 8,000 copies” during the latest tracking week. Not only has the movie’s success made history, but there is already a sequel in the works and a third being discussed.
A large reason the movie has been such a success is not only the critically acclaimed voice acting, award winning singing performances, and vibrant animation, but the themes shown in the story. It features heavy themes of self-love, coming into yourself, and identity. Something that was definitely new, but not unwelcome in the slightest, was the girls’ willingness to take off their makeup, laze around on the couch with a ton of snacks, and eat whatever makes them happy. Even the way they got ready to hunt down the Saja Boys the first time was relatable to every girl in the world.
The movie is not only loved by fans everywhere, but I have fallen in love with the music, the characters, and the attention to detail that was put into the film. Through learning about the characters, I learned a lot about Korean culture and pieces of Korean folklore and mythology. This movie gets 5/5 stars from me, and it seems like most of the world agrees too.