Early this week, Sony Pictures Animation's “KPOP -demon hunter” Netflix story made.
It was the first Netflix original film that reached a new view of views in its sixth week – massive 26.3 million views that were exceeded last week (25.8 million) and the week before (24.2 million). In its sixth week, according to the streaming giant, it was also the most popular Netflix animation film ever.
In addition, it was in the top 10 in all countries and should enter the Netflix All-Top 10 next week. Plus, “Golden”, a song from his bop filled with BOP, Returned to the #1 Spot On the Billboard Global 200. All of this has determined the fact that “KPOP demon Hunters” is not just a film, but a rare worldwide phenomenon.
Thewrap has learned that “KPOP Demon Hunter” will expand into a number of related projects, including sequels and a live action version.
The animated film with English dialogue, but plays in Seoul, contains a trio of K-pop singers, whose contagious songs operate their ability to combat hordes of demons. It has become a phenomenon that offers tens of millions of streams and whose songs have reached the charts. The show, which is supported by growing interest in Korean culture, has proven to be raffled for both adults and children.
During the profit in the second quarter of the beginning of this month, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarando's “KPOP-Demonjäger” showed as a “phenomenal success from the goal … and the fact that people are in love with this film and the music that is in love with the music of this film will keep it running for a long time. We are really thrilled.
If you also wonder what Rumi, Mira and Zoey, the members of the Girl Group Huntr/X, who juggle the fans with their contagious blows and at the same time kill demonic animals, we are here to illuminate the possible next steps.
Netflix refers to the project as “Frozen” or Disney Princesse -Franchise – a property that has got the zeitgeist under control at an unprecedented level, and one that the streamer plans to use various channels and media, according to two people familiar with the plans of the company. The projects through which Netflix is used include a stage musical, a live action remake, a series and of course a few sequels to round off a complete film trilogy “KPOP Demon Hunters”, a third person who was familiar with the situation.
Similar to “Frozen”, a short film is discussed in order to serve as “bridge content” between the main features, as a fourth person emerges who is familiar with the plans of the company. (“Frozen Fever” was released in 2015 in 2015 in 2013 and “Frozen II” in 2015.)
The ambitious plans underline the rare project, which is “KPOP Demon Hunters”, which benefited from Netflix 'willingness to bet on the original animation, and the fact that Korean culture was in the spotlight, which caused Netflix to get itself quickly from this dynamic. Like “Frozen” it was a first outsider who broke into a cultural phenomenon and reminded us that surprises can still come out of nowhere.
Similar to Disney's blockbuster film, Netflix Merchandising is increased for “KPOP Demon Hunters”. The products that are officially sold in Netflix were among the most popular this year, even if the company was caught with a flat foot with just a few articles. Netflix plans to work with a number of external partners where “KPOP Demon Hunters” are flooded with local shopping centers and Big Box stores, the fourth person said. The South Korean electronic giant Samsung, who recently worked with the film for an advertisement for your Galaxy Z Fold 7 phone with the Weirdo Bird with a lens array that reflects the multiple eyes of the bird character, wants to make more with “KPOP Demon Hunters”.
And just like you could not escape “Let It Go”, the KPOP bangers, which populate the soundtrack “KPOP Demon Hunters”, will be even more popular, with the Breakout number “Golden” becoming Submitted for the best original song According to a person with knowledge of the plans at the Oscar ceremonies this year and possible live opportunities.
This is another sneaky parallel to “Frozen”, which won the best animated feature Oscar, whereby “KPOP Demon Hunters” became quiet early Favorite at the Academy Awards.
If the streamers' plans for an aggressive expansion “KPOP Demon Hunters” have a catch, it is the fact that the original directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans are not yet registered for additional projects. And for the animation of Netflix and Sony Pictures, it is important to bring the (director) band back together before going on tour.
Regardless of this, Netflix has all underlying rights to the IP, which means that the streamer can do everything he wants with the title and his future – with or without Sony Pictures animation, so several people who are informed about the situation. These sources have all said that the animation of Netflix and Sony Pictures intends to work together on the franchise.
Express outsiders
What makes the success of “KPOP -Demonjäger” even sweeter is that it was a project that has always been undervalued and reduced.
The film was announced in 2021 as in the Sony Pictures animation, the studio, known for “Spider-Man: Turly the Spider-Verse” (and its continuation) and the popular franchise “Hotel Transylvania”. At the time of his announcement, a publication plan was not immediately identified, but later added to an ongoing partnership between Sony and Netflix. One year after the film was announced, Netflix registered the brand for the film and in 2023 in A Business Insider interviewTom Rothman, chairman and CEO of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, noticed that “we make a large animated K-pop musical for the streaming platform.
In a way, Sinn-Netflix made it together with Sony Pictures animation into a series of projects, including Appelhans' “Wish Dragon”, the Oscar-nominated “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”, Lin-Manuel Mirandas animated musical “Vivo” and a number of exhausting projects, including the animating film, “Ghostbus” and “Fixed” and Augs, Augugs.
When the project was brought to Netflix, the company immediately triggered the rights.
Netflix planned the film for June 20 directly against Pixars “Elio”, a suspected cash register. (It was not.) The publication had little fanfare; There was no brilliant “Art of” book that accompanied it, nothing that was to be bought in the official Netflix online shop, and the creative team skipped the animation of International Animation Film Festival, which took place in the week before his debut on Netflix -and where Netflix had a typical oversized presence.
Although there was no proper theater publication, “KPOP Demon Hunters” appeared in enough cinemas in New York and Los Angeles to qualify for the Oscars. There was not even a traditional Hollywood premiere, and Netflix decided instead a demonstration in the Tudum theater.
According to Netflix, the figures of the first week of the film were relatively modest with only 9.2 million calls. But the second week rose to 22.7 million, as did it Demand for goods. Netflix was so surprised by the desire to have started to follow up products that were intended as crew gifts. The plush tiger currently available on the website was originally awarded to those who have worked on the film – and they Didn't have to pay $ 47.95. Netflix said on July 1 that several “KPOP -Demon hunter” in the Netflix shop belonged to the “Top Five Bestsellern of the Year”. One of the top objects? This tiger plush.
The power of the surprise
When Thewrap spoke to Kang and Appelhans in early June, “KPOP Demon Hunters” still had to be used up to an internationally recognized juggernach. At that time, Kang said that “all the ingredients of the concept lived separately” before they came together to form “KPOP -demon hunters”.
“I always wanted to carry out a Korean project that presented Korean culture and created it for the large feature animation room because it is something we just didn't see,” said Kang. Obviously, Japanese animation is a big business and projects such as “Mulan” were penetrated in Chinese history. “But I felt that I hadn't seen anything Korean yet,” said Kang.
She began to think about how demons are “represented in Korean media”, which partly led to the equation “demon hunters”.
The K-POP element, she said, was “the last thing that should be added.” She wanted the spectacle that K-Pop brought along with the songs (of course). “In the superhero region there was a room in which I felt that women were not really represented as I wanted to see them,” said Kang. “I wanted to see women who can be silly and blatant and make stupid faces and not be so pretty all the time and have their imperfections. These are all the ingredients that have just come together.”
And in a way, this hyper-specificity of “KPOP demon hunters” did it so universal. Scroll through social media and you will see that people not only make dances for songs from the film, but also draw characters and send their favorite love history (people are very angry about the loss of a specific character -we will not give it away if they are not one of the 100 million Netflix views). And although it could have been a hit if the film had been released, there is something that the Netflix platform offers above all the chance to repeat the film again and again.
This returned to “Frozen”, which was a big surprise for Walt Disney Animation Studios, which emphasized the musical elements of the film and instead emphasized the lovable snowman Olaf. When it turned out that the film was a smash -and his Olaf plush was sold out everywhere -Disney began to emphasize the other elements of the film and increase its popularity. In the years since then we have had short films and streaming content, Christmas specials and theme parking tractions. And we will also be buried in an avalanche of “KPOP Demon Hunters” Things.
It is rare at a time when everything is packed and immensely diagrammed, especially in a place like Netflix, which is based on numbers and driven by algorithms so that a real surprise comes. “KPOP Demon Hunters” reminded Hollywood that outbreaks are still possible. And as soon as a hit has been determined, the description of the story is just the beginning.
