KPop Demon Hunters: Inside Netflix’s Biggest Movie Ever
Rumi, Mira, & Zoey – the main characters of Netflix’s hit movie KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
Lexi Cantrell
Oct. 1 2025
Within its first week of release, KPop Demon Hunters shattered Netflix records, becoming the platform’s most-watched film ever and holding steady in the Top 10 weeks later.
On June 20th, 2025, Netflix released the movie KPop Demon Hunters. This animated musical film, produced by Sony, features a strong anime-inspired style and is highly favored by K-pop fans.
The film centers on Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, three members of the well-known K-pop girl group HUNTR/X, as they balance the demands of fame with their secret mission: hunting demons. The sisters use their supernatural abilities to defend the human world against paranormal dangers.
The Saja Boys, a new rival K-pop boy band that is actually a bunch of demons in disguise, pose the largest threat to them. To permanently protect the human world from demons, HUNTR/X must win the idol awards. However, the Saja Boys add drama and expose secrets that cause turmoil between the two groups.
The voice cast includes Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo as the HUNTR/X members, along with Ken Jeong as their manager and Ahn Hyo-seop as the Saja Boys' leader. Notable guest voices include Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, and Liza Koshy.
The new musical is more than simply a successful film. It's a part of a larger cultural movement that combines Western streaming with Korean culture to create a global cultural phenomenon.
The film's designers created a self-sustaining franchise that blends multiple cultures and uses audience participation in unique ways, rather than merely following current trends.
Maggie Kang, the film's director, discussed in an interview with TIME Magazine how the movie focuses on aspects of Korean culture other than Kpop. Kang carefully crafted each element to perfectly capture her Korean heritage.
“Everything was seen through this Korean lens: The characters are going to eat at a restaurant, it’s just a conversation around food at the dinner table, but what is the food that’s on the table? What does the background look like? Does it feel like Korea? Everything was designed to honor authenticity of the Korean culture.”
The film demonstrated that "niche" no longer equates to "small," as artists are no longer forced to sacrifice authenticity to become widely popular. Even though just a small percentage of viewers consider themselves K-pop fans, the movie's success relied on telling an engaging tale that appeals to a wider audience while still satisfying its current following.
In addition, the anime and music in the movie are in English rather than Korean. This linguistic change allowed the film to appeal to viewers all over the world and encourage cultural diversity.
KPop Demon Hunters is not the first Korean hit to be released on Netflix. Squid Game achieved enormous worldwide success in 2021, breaking streaming records. Together, the first two seasons received over 600 million views, and Season 3 was one of the most anticipated summer releases on the platform.
The phenomenon was not limited to the screen. In addition to being a popular Halloween costume and generating over 100 commercial partnerships, Squid Game also created viral social media trends, with fans sharing millions of TikTok videos that were connected to the show's aesthetics and dialogue.
The foundation for KPop Demon Hunters was established by such momentum. The survival drama of Squid Game captivated viewers, but KPop Demon Hunters is gaining popularity thanks to its music. On the Billboard Top 100, four tracks from the movie's soundtrack have reached the top 10. The soundtrack holds the record for having four hits in the top 10 at the same time. Combined, those songs have received over 3 billion streams, demonstrating the global success of Netflix's Korean storytelling.
The movie has received an overwhelmingly positive reception from fans. Numerous content providers, including Danny Motta, Dylan is in Trouble, and Ur Internet Mom Ash, have shared reviews and response videos to the film. All of these creators' videos have received more than half a million views.
Active users on Reddit have created many pages surrounding the movie, sharing their thoughts and opinions. One user, gabs_b, posted this thread to Reddit.
“It was amazing. Great animation, I loved most of the songs, and the vibe was off the charts.”
Another user, Native-Pressure3493, also shared positive feedback.
“Just finished watching it. Love it. And I'm not even a K-pop fan. The songs are catchy and cringey (in a good way). The animation got that Miles Morales Spiderman vibe, which i really like. The action scenes are fluid. Colorful aesthetic. Bit of romance here and there. Easy to follow storyline. The funny gags are probably my favorite.”
Fortnite is currently making new character skins based on the major characters because the film's popularity. The HUNTR/X females, Zoey, Mira, and Rumi, will have new skins available on October 2. Other accessories and emotes will also be available for purchase.
By immediately integrating the film into one of the most popular gaming platforms, the collaboration is anticipated to increase its visibility even more. Because of the Fortnite crossover, KPop Demon Hunters is now something that gamers can play, connect with, and live inside of in addition to being something they should watch.
Additionally, the partnership adds additional feminine components to Fortnite's world. The inclusion of K-pop celebrities and anime-inspired heroines from KPop Demon Hunters could increase the game's appeal to new audiences. The collaboration adds new representation to the platform and expands the ways players may interact with the game. By fusing the Korean style from the movie with Fortnite's action-packed gameplay, gamers will be exposed to cultural diversity.
The popularity of KPop Demon Hunters is reflective of a broader global entertainment trend. To reach consumers outside of traditional borders, streaming platforms are investing more and more in projects that combine languages, cultures, and genres. Music-centered storytelling, Japanese anime adaptations, and Korean dramas are no longer viewed as unique; rather, they are influencing the global appearance of popular pop culture.
KPop Demon Hunters highlights how cross-cultural storytelling is becoming essential to the future of entertainment as platforms compete to produce the next big hit. For spectators, it signals not just a film to watch but also the direction of pop culture going forward.