KPop Demon Hunters hits cinemas in five countries after topping Netflix, music charts
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The streaming mega-hit is tipped by analysts to hit No. 1 at the box office over the weekend.
PHOTO: NETFLIX
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LOS ANGELES – Netflix’s gargantuan hit film KPop Demon Hunters has captured the global zeitgeist in the last two months, smashing streaming and music chart records
An animated musical about a trio of South Korean pop starlets who fight demons with infectious songs and synchronised dance moves, KPop 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 No. 1 at the box office over the weekend, with thousands of cosplaying fans headed to sold-out “sing-along screenings” in cinemas across the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
“Insane, crazy, surreal,” Korean-American singer Ejae, who co-wrote the film’s biggest track
Released on June 20, 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.
“This movie is a triple threat. It’s got fantastic writing. It has got stunning animation. And the songs are bangers,” said Ms Wendy Lee Szany, a Los Angeles-based movie critic and K-pop devotee.
Indeed, songs by the movie’s fictional girl group Huntrix and boy band rivals Saja Boys occupy three of the Billboard top 10 – a feat no movie soundtrack has achieved since the 1990s.
‘Memes’
While combining the global K-pop craze with sexy supernatural monsters might sound like an obvious recipe for Netflix’s much-vaunted algorithm, nobody expected KPop Demon Hunters to take off on this scale.
It was made by Hollywood studio Sony Pictures, intended for the big screen, but sold to Netflix during the Covid-19 pandemic when many cinemas were shuttered.
That may have worked to the film’s advantage, said Mr John Nguyen, founder of pop culture website Nerd Reactor.
“If Sony had released it in theatres, I don’t think it would have been as big,” he said. “It’s word-of-mouth. People shared it, talked about it, posted videos on social media of fans and families singing along in their living rooms.”
Endless homespun TikTok dance videos have added to the momentum.
“People who haven’t seen the movie yet are seeing these memes. They can’t escape it, so they just end up like, ‘Okay, I’m going to sit down this weekend (and watch) on Netflix’,” said Ms Szany. “And then they fall in love with it.”
‘Shattered’
Seeking to capitalise, Netflix – usually averse to movie theatres – is hosting “sing-alongs” at 1,700 North American cinemas over the weekend.
Fans are invited to dress up, whip their phones out and film themselves singing at the top of their voices.
The approach has cinema traditionalists despairing, but earned American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift’s concert movie US$260 million (S$333 million) at the box office in 2023.
Early estimates suggest KPop Demon Hunters could make US$15 million in North American cinemas and top the weekend’s box office.
Analyst David Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research said that figure seemed “reasonable... for now”, but could get “shattered” if a rush of demand causes theatre owners to add extra screenings.
That would be a welcome shot in the arm for movie theatres, after the bleak years of Covid-19, Hollywood strikes and younger audiences migrating to – ironically – streaming.
“There were literally so many kids singing their hearts out,” said Ms Szany, who attended Netflix’s advance sing-along and has watched the film at least eight times. “I was like, wow, they know all the lyrics better than I do.” AFP
