Netflix’s gargantuan hit film KPop Demon Hunters has captured the global zeitgeist this summer, smashing streaming and music chart records. Now, it is coming to movie theaters.
An animated musical about a trio of Korean pop starlets who fight demons with infectious songs and synchronized dance moves, Demon Hunters has been watched 210 million times and currently has five of the global top 10 songs on Spotify.
In an unlikely journey, the streaming mega-hit is tipped by analysts to hit number one at the box office this weekend, with thousands of cosplaying fans headed to sold-out “singalong screenings” in theaters across five countries.
“Insane, crazy, surreal,” singer EJAE, who co-wrote the film’s biggest track, “Golden,” and performs heroine Rumi’s songs, told an advance screening at Netflix’s Hollywood headquarters this week. “I’m just really grateful I’m able to be part of this crazy cultural phenomenon.”
For the uninitiated, the film’s premise is bizarre yet simple. Demons who feed on human souls have been trapped in another realm by the powerful voices of girl group HUNTR/X. To fight back, the demons secretly send their own devilishly handsome boy band to steal HUNTR/X’s fans and feast on their essences.
Rivalries ensue, loyalties fray, and an unlikely romance evolves over 90 minutes of power ballads and pop earworms, all against anime-style backdrops of Seoul’s modern skyline, traditional bathhouses, and thatched hanok homes.
Released in June, KPop Demon Hunters is already Netflix’s most-watched animated offering and sits second on the all-time chart for any original film. It is likely to take the top spot within the week. AFP
