KPop Demon Hunters isn’t just one of the biggest success stories of the year; it’s the biggest movie Netflix has ever made. Within the span of just a few months, more people have watched KPop Demon Hunters than any original film in Netflix’s library, as it continues to break record after record. That success is well-deserved, as this refreshing hit from Sony Animation is packed to the brim with vibrant animation, charismatic and well-written characters, and a surprisingly moving main narrative.
It’s also a movie that was clearly fun to make, as evidenced by a ludicrously entertaining making-of panel at the 2025 Lightbox Expo, where Collider was in attendance. While diving into the fan-favorite Saja Boys and their now massively popular song “Your Idol,” director Maggie Kang had more than a few things to talk about when it came to how those characters and hit song came to life. Not only that, but she also revealed a particularly hysterical note she got from the head of Sony Animation, Kristine Belson:
“Kristine Belson, President of Sony Animation, said ‘Let’s objectify the crap out of these guys.'”
The humorous comment, which got a big reaction out of the attendees at Lightbox, came when Kang and her fellow panelists were showcasing some behind-the-scenes looks at the Saja Boys, showing the demon boy band in all their glory with their crop tops and dance moves. Production designer Helen Mingjue Chen was also on the panel, chiming in that, at one point, the Boys’ costume in the song was almost a “mesh crop top” and they had to decide if “we wanted to see his nipple or not.” Jokes and laughter aside, Kang, Chen, and the rest of the team really went in depth on how difficult and essential it was to portray this scene in particular right, really focusing on the sense of scale for the Boys’ big moment. Of course, Kang and the team also did a deep dive into the film’s animation tricks and techniques, which is the exact type of informative content Lightbox is famous for.
Will ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Get a Sequel?
While Netflix and Sony have yet to officially announce a KPop Demon Hunters 2, a sequel is all but assured given the movie’s runaway success on streaming. Not to mention, fans are still clamoring to find out the fate of the Saja Boys’ most crucial member and Rumi’s (Arden Cho) love interest, Ji-Noo (Ahn Hyo-seop), whose fate is left ambiguous at the end of the film. While we’re still awaiting confirmation on the future of HUNTR-X, Sony Animation is now officially hard at work on a sequel to another hit Netflix film, The Mitchells vs. the Machines.
Until then, the record-breaking KPop Demon Hunters is streaming now on Netflix.
Release Date
June 20, 2025
Runtime
96 minutes
Director
Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang
