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KPop Demon Hunters has become Netflix’s most-watched film, earning more than 236 million views and climbing to No. 1 at the box office during its sing-along theatrical run. Analysts say the animated musical’s success rests not only on its songs but also on how it depicts the joy of fandom.
Released June 20, the film follows a trio of pop-star demon hunters who use music to protect humanity. Its soundtrack, produced by Teddy Park and The Black Label, generated six Billboard Hot 100 entries, with the song Golden reaching No. 1. Music journalist Jeff Benjamin said the tracks stand on their own. The filmmakers “really did their homework.”
Co-director Maggie Kang emphasized that authenticity was central to the project. “Story and character come first. If you craft something universal, audiences will connect regardless of language or culture,” Kang said. “I wanted to showcase the breadth of our culture. Even if some viewers didn’t get everything right away, I trusted they eventually would—so we showed it as it is.”
The movie draws heavily from K-pop performance culture and anime influences, a combination that resonated with audiences worldwide. “A big part of the movie is the idea of music really giving you those butterflies, and that energy being an actual superpower,” Kang told the Washington Post. “We didn’t okay a song unless it gave us those feels.”
Unlike many animated releases, KPop Demon Hunters has leaned on fan participation. Its sing-along screenings drew sold-out crowds, making it Netflix’s widest theatrical release to date. The Deadline reported the version grossed nearly $19 million over two days across more than 1,700 U.S. theaters.
“Many chalked its rise up to sheer fandom passion. Partly yes, but the real driver was the way its audience formed a system to organize, produce, and circulate content at scale. And this audience set-up helped KPDH become less a single moment in culture, and more a cultural engine for all kinds of media creation & consumption,” said Dahye Lee, Marketing Research Lead at Pulsar, in an analysis of its viral growth.
