It seems slaying charts and demons is no longer a thing of fiction for Sony Animation. The studio’s surprise animated hit, Kpop Demon Hunters, has become the most-watched original film in Netflix history after achieving two major milestones: topping the streamer’s chart in 41 countries in its opening week and reclaiming the No. 1 spot in its fourth week of release.
More impressively, the movie continued to enjoy a rise in viewership during a time when it would typically be on a decline, chalking up another 26.3 million views for the period of 21 to 27 July and marking its sixth week in the top 10 charts. As of the time of writing, it now stands at No. 2 globally on the English Film list, behind the Adam Sandler-starring pic Happy Gilmore 2.
“It’s the moment! KPop Demon Hunters is Netflix’s most-watched original animated film of ALL TIME,” reads the official announcement post on X/Twitter.
The catchy music used in and written for the musical adventure is also holding its reign across various charts. “Kpop Demon Hunters” is the highest-charting soundtrack of 2025 so far, with the majority of its songs currently on the Billboard Hot 100, including the first-place “Golden” and “Takedown”, the opening number performed by popular girl group Twice’s Jeongyeon, Chaeyeong, and Jihyo.
Directed by Maggie Kang, who was head of story for The Lego Ninjago Movie, Kpop Demon Hunters centres on a fictional K-pop girl group, HUNTR/X (pronounced ‘Huntrix’), who lead double lives as demon hunters, and face off against a rival boy band called Saja Boys, whose members are secretly demons. While primarily in English, it includes Korean dialogue and cultural nods, including dokkaebi, or goblins, the jeoseung saja, the Korean equivalent of the grim reaper (and the inspiration behind Saja Boys), and real-world locations like Namsan Park.
Arden Cho (Teen Wolf), May Hong (High Maintenance), and Ji-young Yoo (Moxie) lead the voice cast as vocalist and overall leader Rumi, visual-slash-main-dancer Mira, and rapper Zoey, respectively. The trio are joined by other notable industry faces, such as Squid Game star Lee Byung-hun as antagonist Gwi-ma, actor-singer Ahn Hyo-seop (Business Proposal) as Jinu, leader of the Saja Boys, Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-O) as Healer Han, and Ken Jeong (Crazy Rich Asians) as Bobby, the manager and main representative of HUNTR/X.
Renowned K-pop producer Teddy Park contributed to the soundtrack with his work on “Golden”, Soda Pop”, and more, while previous songs like Exo’s “Love Me Right”, Twice’s “Strategy, and MeloMance’s “Love Maybe”, which most would recognise from the Korean drama Business Proposal, were also featured in the film.
The popularity of KPop Demon Hunters caught the world by storm, owing to striking visuals, an interesting premise, and a blend of humour and emotional moments. It has been well-received by audiences and critics alike, scoring 97 per cent critic score and 92 per cent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.7 average rating on IMDb.
Rotten Tomatoes describes its story as follows:
“When they aren’t selling out stadiums, K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet — an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise.”
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
