Sony Pictures Animation has a winning formula on their hands, and it involves K-pop and demon hunting. Following its debut on 20 June, K-Pop Demon Hunters quickly topped Netflix’s global charts to become one of the streamer’s most-watched titles around the world — and its momentum isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
According to data from FlixPatrol, the newly minted fan favourite is now ranked first in 41 countries, including Southeast Asian territories such as Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and more. The Western market is no less immune to its charm, either, with the U.S., France, Switzerland, and Germany among the list of chart-toppers.
Stylistically influenced by concert lighting, editorial photography, and music videos, alongside anime and Korean dramas, K-Pop Demon Hunters features striking, high-energy animation that’s highly evocative of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its 2023 sequel, as well as The Mitchells vs. the Machines, both hailing from Sony. The story follows 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, the pic also includes Korean dialogue and cultural nods, from folklore creatures like dokkaebi, or goblins, and the jeoseung saja, the Korean equivalent of the grim reaper, to real-world locations. Arden Cho (Teen Wolf) leads the voice cast as Rumi, vocalist and overall leader of HUNTR/X, joined by May Hong (High Maintenance) as visual and main dancer Mira, and rapper Zoey.
Other notable names include 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.
Prolific K-pop producer Teddy contributed to the soundtrack, with popular girl group Twice’s Jeongyeon, Chaeyeong, and Jihyo performing the film’s opening number, “Takedown”. His effort extends to HUNTR/X’s “Golden” and Saja Boys’ “Soda Pop, while Exo’s “Love Me Right” and Twice’s “Strategy” were also used as part of the film.
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
