Netflix’s summer hit “KPop Demon Hunters” might be a fantasy, but it’s making real-world waves. Six songs from the movie’s soundtrack have taken over Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, with two rising into the top 10 slots, according to Billboard’s website.
The animated film, which premiered June 20, follows dueling K-pop groups with secret supernatural origins.
“Golden,” performed by the girl group HUNTR/X in the movie (with vocals provided by artists EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI), has held the second spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a second week with 28.9 million streams.
Meanwhile, the movie’s Saja Boys’ song, “Your Idol” (voiced by real-life artists Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo and samUIL Lee) jumped to No. 9, up from No. 12, thanks to 19 million streams in the past week.
Both songs mark the first Hot 100 top 10 appearances for each artist involved with the songs. The “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack album remains at No. 1 on the Soundtrack chart.
“KPop Demon Hunters” is the first movie since Disney’s “Encanto” (2022) to place two songs in the Hot 100’s top 10. Following “Encanto’s” release, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” reached No. 1 while “Surface Pressure” peaked at No. 8.
The animated movie is doing more than dominating the charts. It’s also smashing streaming records.
In a post on X, Netflix confirmed the Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans-directed flick is now the most-watched original animated feature in the streamer’s history. The news was celebrated by fans of the movie, who called for a sequel and praised it for clearly being made with care and passion.
In a June interview with Screenrant, Kang spoke about how the movie blends K-pop tropes.
“When we were thinking about the legacy of these hunters, we were like, ‘Why don’t we just put that into, or play off of, the shaman women from Korean culture?'” Kang explained. “Shamans in Korea are actually mostly women, and they’re dressed in men’s garb. There are these amazing women who threw the first concerts, where they sang and danced to protect their village and their communities. And we were like, ‘This is such a great idea.'”
She also touched on the movie’s traditional Korean mythology and how it sets the stage for potential sequels and more.
“There are things we’ve thought of while making this one,” she added. “There are a lot of questions that are answered, but not fully. I think there are a lot of pockets that we can explore.”
About The Author
