When KPop Demon Hunters landed on Netflix in late June, no one predicted it would become a globe-sweeping, chart-topping phenomenon. The near-instant success of the animated kids’ film caught the industry by surprise, and six months later, fans are still hungry for merchandise, music, spin-offs and more stories. Here’s what you may have missed.
It’s an animated ‘musical urban fantasy film’
The story follows a K-pop girl group called Huntr/x (pronounced “Huntrix”), who are also demon hunters, responsible for protecting humanity from supernatural threats with their combat skills and empowering pop. Their rivals are the Saja Boys, who are secretly demons. When the groups are pitted against one another, the stakes are peace on Earth, and in particular the Honmoon: the magical barrier that protects humans from the underworld. Conflict, and personal growth, ensues.
It’s Netflix’s biggest title. Ever
In September it reached 300m views, overtaking the 2021 action movie Red Notice as the platform’s most-watched film ever. In October, the film was credited with lifting Netflix’s revenue by 17%. It has not just been commercially successful: Review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes presently rates it close to 100% “fresh”, from critics and audiences.
It features real K-pop hitmakers …
Seasoned K-pop producers, writers and musicians worked on the film, among them singer Kevin Woo (former member of boyband U-KISS), producer Teddy Park (who has worked with Blackpink) and Lindgren and Stephen Kirk (both former collaborators of K-pop royalty BTS). The film’s executive music producer Ian Eisendrath said his aim was for the soundtrack to reflect K-pop as “the most theatrical genre of pop”.
… and harnesses the power of fans
One of the film’s charms lies in its fond and fastidiously true-to-life representation of modern pop fandoms. Huntr/x and Saja Boys’ fans engage with their idols on social media, coordinate to drive streams and stoke rivalries. Life is now mirroring art: Huntr/x and Saja Boys have spawned real-world fan armies. In July, marketing company Pulsar found that social media mentions of the fictitious groups were outranking those of superstars such as Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran and Billie Eilish.
It’s also one of the biggest soundtracks of the year
KPop Demon Hunters became the first ever soundtrack to have four songs simultaneously in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 (and three in the UK Top 5). It is Spotify’s second most-streamed album of 2025 and it has now spent more than four months at the top of the global Billboard charts. It has also received five nominations for next year’s Grammy awards, including Song of the Year for girl-power anthem Golden.
Two of the singing voices of Huntr/x, Ejae and Rei Amei, have been signed for global representation, and in November, Woo performed his first US solo concert.
It’s even been a box office hit
A special singalong version of the film was released in cinemas eight weeks after the film hit Netflix, and proved remarkably popular. More than 1,300 screenings in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand sold out, and the film topped the US box office for the penultimate weekend of August.
It has sent social media into a frenzy
Pictures of the Huntr/x trio have been made into memes, their on-screen choreography has been widely copied on TikTok, and content creators are extending the story with fan fiction. A Buddhist monk even livestreamed a two-hour salvation ritual for the demonic Saja Boys.
It’s another high point for the ‘Korean wave’
Creator and co-director (with Chris Appelhans) Maggie Kang said she was encouraged by Netflix to create a movie that “was very culturally Korean”, and not just in the music. The film’s demon-hunters are inspired by mudang, shamans who have been warding off demons with song and dance for hundreds of years. “Our hunters do the same thing through concerts,” Kang said.
Meanwhile, Huntr/x’s diet includes Korean delicacies such as kimbap (sushi roll), Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and milk tea, as well as their own Huntr/x-branded ramyeon noodles. Meanwhile the Saja Boys win over fans by preparing Korean hotdogs at a street-food stall.
You haven’t heard the last from Huntr/x
A sequel is reportedly slated but not until 2029, partly to give the industry time to catch up with the film’s surprise success. Dolls, toys and merchandise have only recently gone into production, and won’t land in stores until well into next year. (Mattel is furiously at work on a full set of Huntr/x dolls, expected to retail for $150.)
That’s not to say we won’t be hearing more from Huntr/x soon. Golden is a strong favourite for best original song at next year’s Oscars, where KPop Demon Hunters is also a prime contender for best animated film.
All told, we can expect Huntr/x’s golden run to continue into 2026. Good news for fans, bad news for their parents (and demons).
