It seems like simply yesterday that KPop Demon Hunters was solely on my radar as a result of the web was memeing the hell out of one of many musical’s early scenes wherein Huntr/x, the fictional lady group that might give Dante from Devil May Cry a run for his cash on the demon-slaying entrance, devours their pre-show snacks in a method that may solely be described as bestial. If I had listened to the dismissive jokes, I may need thought the film was just a few goofy animated slop in Netflix’s endless content material mill and handed on loading it as much as see what all of the fuss was about. Nevertheless, even when I hadn’t taken the plunge, KPop Demon Hunters would have grow to be a phenomenon too huge to disregard. Within the two months for the reason that film launched on Netflix’s streaming service, the film Sony was too cautious to launch in theaters by itself has grow to be arguably one of the vital vital moments in popular culture this 12 months. How did we get right here? What can we study from the film’s resounding success? Given how effectively the primary film has carried out for Netflix, is there any want for the inevitable sequel to do something in a different way?
KPop Demon Hunters’ success might be attributed to some elements, however all of it leads again to it having each benefit in a world the place it’s more and more crucial {that a} mission obtain viral recognition and good phrase of mouth. Launching on Netflix was undeniably a boon for the movie, as youngsters love to observe motion pictures on repeat, and if an viewers readily has simpler entry to one thing at dwelling, it feeds The Content material Machine. YouTubers can create whole response movies from the consolation of their very own properties, clips that aren’t simply grainy digital camera recordings in a darkish theater can flow into on social media, and its soundtrack of catchy Okay-pop earworms might be out there on streaming the day the film comes out. Even when its title and premise didn’t seize your consideration, KPop Demon Hunters was uniquely positioned to search out its viewers, and that viewers is traditionally very loud.
The Okay-pop viewers is merely one slice of the pie, nevertheless. KPop Demon Hunters’ gorgeous Spider-Verse-esque animation, anime-inspired motion, and Disney-like musicality implies that even when the core premise doesn’t enchantment to you, the film in all probability has one thing that can catch your eye. As particular as its viewers seems on the floor, the movie isn’t simply gunning for the largest Twice stan with a Netflix subscription. Informal Okay-Pop listeners like myself discovered rather a lot to like within the movie’s story of self-acceptance punctuated by some absolute bangers. The tip result’s one thing that transcends Okay-pop fandom and has rooted itself within the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide.
KPop Demon Hunters is a chart-topping success story on a number of fronts. It’s now Netflix’s most-watched film of all time; topped the box office with restricted singalong screenings that the AMC theater chain didn’t even participate in its self-love anthem, “Golden,” has been at the top of the Billboard top 200 for weeks; and the film’s soundtrack is the primary to have four songs in Billboard’s top 10 at once. All of this success with a film for which Sony made the “safe” option to have Netflix foot the manufacturing invoice in trade for exclusive streaming rights and a break up income in soundtrack gross sales. Whereas some, myself included, have referred to as Sony’s choice silly, given the film has executed nothing however thrive because it arrived on Netflix, there’s a part of me that wonders if Huntr/x would have grow to be a family title had been KPop Demon Hunters not so simply accessible. A lot of its unfold has been as a result of it’s simply clippable, screenshotable, and shareable throughout social media like TikTok and YouTube. Sony’s hesitation to place the film in theaters could have been what led to it turning into the viral hit it has.
However what’s the supply of that hesitation? Is it as a result of somebody up high thought Okay-pop was too area of interest, or the combination of genres was too off-putting? Or is it simply that KPop Demon Hunters was a brand new property led by girls? The movie is the most recent instance of women-led cinema doing large numbers, after which the remainder of the world performing stunned that one thing ostensibly concentrating on younger ladies has an viewers. The Barbie film remodeled a billion {dollars}, the Frozen motion pictures are among the most profitable animated movies of all time, and we nonetheless want astronomical success tales to persuade us that there’s demand for women-led movies. KPop Demon Hunters is breaking via a number of ceilings each for its personal success and to pave the best way for others, however solely time will inform if anybody truly learns something from this, or if the movie trade’s goldfish mind kicks in once more and we overlook till the sequel rolls out in just a few years.
