As South Korean pop culture continues to dominate the globe, the Netflix animated movie “KPop Demon Hunters” effectively blends influences and leans into the international appeal of Korean entertainment. Mixing energetic pop songs with K-drama storytelling stakes, the movie has topped Netflix’s streaming charts and proven original animation can still thrive. Beyond the film’s streaming success, however, the production’s soundtrack is also breaking records, with its major single “Golden” now up for awards consideration. This breathtaking popularity on multiple fronts is a clear testament to the growing ubiquity of South Korean entertainment worldwide and signals the country’s cultural spread is only gaining momentum.

For the uninitiated, “KPop Demon Hunters” is an animated musical about a K-pop girl group that hunts demons, as the title suggests. The story focuses on Huntr/x, a girl group enjoying global success while also secretly hunting demons and using their musical abilities to maintain a magical barrier protecting the world. In response, the demon king Gwi-ma (Lee Byung-hun) creates a rival boy band, the Saja Boys, who are disguised demons using their popularity to drain fans’ souls. Leading Huntr/x is Rumi (Arden Cho), who is secretly part-demon and torn over her heritage as she defeats demons through her music. This leads to a musical showdown between Huntr/x and the Saja Boys, with Rumi unveiling a new song capable of breaking Gwi-ma’s soul-draining spell.

This all makes for a delightful bubblegum pop animated adventure, but there are some truly impressive feats “KPop Demon Hunters” has pulled off since its June 2025 release.

While “KPop Demon Hunters” premiered to respectable streaming numbers on Netflix, with over nine million viewers worldwide, it more than doubled its viewership in its second week. For an industry that sees steady audience attrition after debuts, the animated movie defied that trend, with over 24 million additional viewers having streamed the film in its second week alone (via Variety). The movie’s positive critical reaction and strong word-of-mouth has likely buoyed its staying power, with the film earning an impressive 95% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, it’s the musical accomplishments of “KPop Demon Hunters” that are among the production’s most eye-opening and important.

Since the film’s soundtrack made its debut online, it has regularly topped streaming charts on Spotify, with the album having also launched at #8 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart. The soundtrack’s hit single “Golden” has even surpassed the output of real-life girl group Blackpink (whose member Lisa is now an acting star as well thanks to “The White Lotus”) to become the highest-charting women-led K-pop song in history (via the BBC). Meanwhile, the Saja Boys-performed single “Your Idol” has replicated that success, outperforming BTS’s work as the highest-charting male-led K-pop song. K-pop had already become a musical powerhouse worldwide, and “KPop Demon Hunters” wisely taps into that growing fanbase for its own commercial success.

Given the streaming popularity of both the movie “KPop Demon Hunters” and its accompanying soundtrack, South Korean pop culture remains a force to be reckoned with. And with toe-tapping hit songs and a family-friendly story, the movie is a clear sign that Korean entertainment’s global presence is here to stay.

“KPop Demon Hunters” is now streaming on Netflix (and it may yet get a sequel).