The Sony Pictures Animation movie follows Huntr\/x, whose members secretly moonlight as demon hunters tasked to maintain a magical barrier that protects humans from the dark underworld. Their singing voices keep the worlds sealed off from each other, but a rival demon boy group, the Saja Boys, threatens to suck people\u2019s souls dry and weaken the barrier in order to infiltrate the human realm.<\/p>\n
Currently No. 2 on Netflix\u2019s list of most-streamed movies globally, with nearly 94 million hours viewed, KPop Demon Hunters has notched a 95% critics rating and an equally impressive 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>.<\/p>\n The soundtrack rocketed to No. 3<\/a> on the Billboard 200 albums chart in its second week of release, making it the highest-charting soundtrack of the year. Its original songs have topped the U.S. Spotify chart<\/a>, surpassing previous peaks set by K-pop superstar groups BTS and Blackpink.<\/p>\n Real-life K-pop idols have taken notice too, with some participating in dance challenges<\/a> on TikTok, producing music-video-quality song covers<\/a> and praising the movie<\/a> on social media. Netflix is submitting the KPop Demon Hunters power anthem \u201cGolden\u201d for awards consideration<\/a>, releasing it as an official single on July 4.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s incredible to see a movie that is about connection actually connecting people,\u201d Maggie Kang, codirector and cowriter of KPop Demon Hunters, tells Yahoo of the \u201cwhirlwind\u201d response.<\/p>\n She and KPop Demon Hunters codirector-cowriter Chris Appelhans have seen proof that the movie is striking a chord among all demographics, from mothers and daughters to K-pop newbies to \u201cgym bros.\u201d Many are already calling<\/a> for a sequel<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always felt like the movie has such a bigger audience than the title implies,\u201d Appelhans tells Yahoo. \u201cIf you love music, if you like identity stories [and] if you like to laugh, those are such broad and appealing things [that the movie offers].\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018A breath of fresh air\u2019<\/p>\n One of the biggest draws of KPop Demon Hunters is the vibrant, pop-art animation style that Sony Pictures Animation \u2014 the studio behind the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse movies \u2014 has become known for. From a punchier color palette to anime-inspired character designs, the movie is a feast for the eyes.<\/p>\n Zoey, Rumi and Mira perform onstage as Huntr\/x in KPop Demon Hunters. (Netflix)<\/p>\n Marissa Yonamine, who reviews movies on TikTok<\/a>, was initially drawn to the film because of Sony Pictures Animation\u2019s \u201cgreat track record,\u201d citing the studio\u2019s past successes The Mitchells vs. the Machines and the Spider-Verse films. \u201cThat gave it credibility,\u201d Yonamine tells Yahoo. \u201cImmediately, I fell in love with it.\u201d<\/p>\n It also helps that the animation amplifies what the characters are going through internally as the story unfolds \u2014 a key point in the development of the plot and the overall look of the movie. Appelhans says it goes hand in hand with creating \u201cgreat characters, stories, personalities and entertainment value, and also [including their] struggle, pain and wants. And that dovetails so well with the music.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a very intricate puzzle that we had to put together because there\u2019s so much variety [in the scenes],\u201d Kang says. \u201cOK, we need the music to do this. They need music scenes to be music videos. They need the comedy to do this. I feel very proud that we were able to achieve what we wanted for each scene, whether it\u2019s comedy or emotional or visual.\u201d<\/p>\n Mira and Zoey in KPop Demon Hunters. (Netflix)<\/p>\n Stylistically, the film is \u201ca breath of fresh air from an animation perspective,\u201d Crystal Bell, digital culture editor at Mashable and a K-pop expert, tells Yahoo \u2014 \u201cthe expressiveness of the characters, the way that Zoey\u2019s eyes turn into hearts or burst into popcorn when she gets too hot. I love those little details that feel so specific to the visual language of this film that maybe others aren\u2019t [doing].\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018The best K-pop songs released this year\u2019<\/p>\n In an early scene,\u00a0the Huntr\/x girls bump into the Saja Boys and hear the group\u2019s bubbly, crowd-pleasing \u201cSoda Pop\u201d for the first time. After fighting off the urge to groove to the beat, Rumi begrudgingly admits, \u201cIt is annoyingly catchy.\u201d And in another equally addictive song, the sinister \u201cYour Idol,\u201d the Saja Boys exert their power over the fans as they confidently sing, \u201cYour obsession feeds our connection, so right now give me all your attention.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a sentiment that fans \u2014 K-pop lovers and nonlisteners alike \u2014 have obeyed of the soundtrack\u2019s seven original tracks, all of which have landed on the Billboard Hot 100<\/a>.<\/p>\n The team recruited proven K-pop hitmakers such as Teddy and Ejae (who provides the singing voice for Rumi), whose credits include writing and producing songs for artists like BigBang, Psy, Blackpink, Aespa and Red Velvet, to help shape the songs. Members from K-pop sensation Twice added street cred when they lent their talents to a track as well.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was our goal: Could we make a fictional but very real-feeling idol group? That was the bar,\u201d Kang says. \u201cWe just wanted it to feel very authentically K-pop so that our groups can slide into the industry and stand on their own. It definitely feels like we\u2019ve done that.\u201d<\/p>\n Their creative risk-taking paid off.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the songs on the soundtrack are the best K-pop songs released this year so far,\u201d Bell says. She pointed to \u201cSoda Pop\u201d as a prime example of good timing and perfect execution converging to create the ideal summer song.<\/p>\n \u201cK-pop is very seasonal,\u201d Bell says. \u201cEvery season brings a different tone to an artist\u2019s release, so there\u2019s a definite spring, summer sound. The fact that this song from a fictional boy group captured that summer sound that a traditional boy group would release is just perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n Outside of being addictive earworms, the songs also push the narrative forward, heightening the emotional stakes and adding to their appeal.<\/p>\n \u201cGolden\u201d drops at a crucial turning point in the movie for Huntr\/x, particularly Rumi, whose secret half-demon identity is unmasked just as the group is close to sealing off the demon world.<\/p>\n \u201cA song like \u2018Golden,\u2019 it\u2019s an \u2018I Want\u2019 song, which a lot of great pop songs are. Those coming-of-age songs, where it\u2019s like, \u2018I started from nowhere, I was the loser and now I\u2019m the king,\u201d Appelhans explains, referencing early \u201900s Kanye West raps as an example of what he wanted to accomplish. \u201cIt\u2019s so archetypal pop.\u201d<\/p>\n A celebration of K-pop\u2019s global reach<\/p>\n KPop Demon Hunters embraces K-pop for its ability to unite, from the bonds between members to the parasocial connection with fans \u2014 and \u201cthreads the needle quite well between spectacle and sincerity,\u201d Bell says.<\/p>\n \u201c[K-pop fans are] often celebrating the [genre\u2019s] stars as fantastic and glamorous, and also celebrating them offscreen. Like [Blackpink\u2019s] Lisa being goofy in a TikTok, you\u2019re like, \u2018Oh that\u2019s real \u2014 that\u2019s off-camera Lisa,\u2019\u201d Appelhans says. \u201cThat duality is very satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n That level of authenticity was something he and Kang wanted to lean into, hence the portrayals of Huntr\/x (and, to a lesser extent, the Saja Boys) as fully formed characters with relatable mannerisms and imperfections rather than unattainable caricatures of pop stardom.<\/p>\n Rumi, Zoey and Mira. (Netflix)<\/p>\n \u201cI want weird girls who do stupid faces,\u201d Kang explains of the trio.<\/p>\n The movie also positively depicts K-pop fandoms as diverse, loyal and tight-knit, and the collective feeling of community that often comes with being unapologetically open about a shared interest. It equally emphasizes that music and fans of it can be impenetrable sources of good (as is the case with Huntr\/x) or evil (Saja Boys).<\/p>\n \u201cWith any global phenomenon like the Beatles or other boy groups, there\u2019s always going to be fans who are \u2018obsessive\u2019 \u2014 and that\u2019s correct to a certain degree \u2014 but there are reasons why they gravitate to those art forms or groups,\u201d Yonamine suggests. \u201c[They] speak to them on another level and they feel seen through the music.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad that KPop Demon Hunters is able to humanize and be able to give a reason to why fans love [K-pop] so much,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n The Saja Boys in KPop Demon Hunters. (Netflix)<\/p>\n Toni Hopkins, a filmmaker who reviews movies on TikTok<\/a>, was already a K-pop fan when she dove into KPop Demon Hunters at a friend\u2019s suggestion. Since then, she\u2019s listened to the soundtrack \u201cnonstop,\u201d appreciating many of the film\u2019s inside jokes and critiques about K-pop practices and K-drama conventions. (There are subtle critiques of idol diets, relentless schedules and the life-and-death pressures of maintaining success.) Hopkins says it\u2019s made her \u201cwant to dive into that world more.\u201d<\/p>\n K-pop artists like BTS, Enhypen, Monsta X, Zerobaseone and Exo\u2019s Baekhyun have all tipped their cap to the movie on social media and at their own concerts, adding legitimacy to the movie\u2019s depiction of what it\u2019s like to be an artist today.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a huge compliment that the K-pop industry is seeing it and recognizing it,\u201d Kang said, \u201cand even Twice saying this was a great representation of what their lives are.\u201d<\/p>\n Fills a much-needed void<\/p>\n Original animated films have struggled mightily to gain traction<\/a> in recent years, with studios like Pixar and Disney relying on sequels or live-action remakes in order to make a dent at the box office. It\u2019s left a gap that KPop Demon Hunters has unexpectedly filled, proving there\u2019s an appetite for bold, fearless stories if done well.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of shows and movies that come out nowadays are missing a soul or a heartbeat, and you can feel it in this movie,\u201d Rachel Ruff Cuyler<\/a>, a filmmaker and content creator, tells Yahoo. It\u2019s evident \u201cthe cast and crew had fun making it,\u201d which she says comes across onscreen.<\/p>\n Mira, Rumi and Zoey in KPop Demon Hunters. (Netflix)<\/p>\n And a movie about a group of demon-slaying huntresses who use their K-pop personas as covers has a lot more depth than you would expect.<\/p>\n Rooted in Korean culture and mythology, and primarily set in Seoul, KPop Demon Hunters delves into themes that are very much universal, from generational trauma and self-acceptance to overcoming shame and embracing one\u2019s true identity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeing women being portrayed as feminine while still being badasses. It doesn\u2019t need to be one or the other. You can have both,\u201d Hopkins says. \u201cI think that\u2019s why it\u2019s refreshing to see them act goofy and crazy and silly, but still be these beautiful, defined stars.\u201d<\/p>\n Fans are \u2018writing the next movie\u2019<\/p>\n Despite having a runtime of under 100 minutes, KPop Demon Hunters has taken on a life of its own through fan art, video mash-ups and fan theories about what a potential sequel <\/a>could entail.<\/p>\n \u201cChris and I joke that they\u2019re writing the next movie,\u201d Kang says of the robust chatter, noting that fans are even posting comics<\/a> and storyboards online.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just getting bigger and bigger by the day,\u201d she adds. \u201cWe don\u2019t normally see new [intellectual property] doing this. So I hope it shows everybody that people want new stuff and people want things that are weird and different, and they\u2019re excited for it. It felt like [the audience] finally got a glass of water that they\u2019ve been wanting to drink for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Zoey,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/8cb91c60-5cd0-11f0-8bc6-794675cfe22b.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Mira](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/12891040-5cd4-11f0-bfcb-0d67f58cbc8f.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Rumi,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/f46d9d30-5cd1-11f0-ad9b-8a0aca52d1cf.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/59c12e20-5cd4-11f0-bfdf-e1719c75da16.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Mira,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/6d8912c0-5cd3-11f0-bf5f-45131f5b94d9.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n