KPop Demon Hunters, Squid Game score Critics Choice Awards wins

Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters won best animated feature and best song for Golden, a standout track from the film, at the 31st Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, on Jan 4, the first major gala of 2026’s Hollywood awards season.

The first overseas-produced animated feature centred on K-pop idols prevailed over fellow contenders including Zootopia 2, Elio, In Your Dreams and Arco.

The triumph over traditional animation powerhouses such as Disney and Pixar has fuelled expectations that KPop Demon Hunters could post a strong showing at the Academy Awards on March 15.

The 2026 Oscar nominations are set to be announced on Jan 22.

Meanwhile, Squid Game continued its dominant Critics Choice streak with a third best foreign language series win for its third season.

Squid Game first made history at the 2022 Critics Choice Awards, becoming the first South Korean drama to win best foreign language series. At the same ceremony, star Lee Jung-jae broke barriers as the first South Korean actor to win best actor in a drama series.

The series repeated its success at the February 2025 ceremony, once again taking home the best foreign language series trophy following the second season.

American-French actor Timothee Chalamet’s Oscars campaign earned a major boost as he scooped the best actor prize for Marty Supreme.

He defeated American rival Leonardo DiCaprio, whose raucous political thriller One Battle After Another took the night’s top prize for best picture, as well as best director and best adapted screenplay for American film-maker Paul Thomas Anderson.

In Marty Supreme, Chalamet plays a 1950s table tennis champion consumed by grand ambitions.

Loosely based on the life of table tennis star Marty Reisman, a man driven by the belief that he can achieve fame and fortune through a sport little known in the United States, the film directed by American Josh Safdie has become an unlikely global hit.

“Josh, you made a story about a flawed man with a relatable dream,” said Chalamet, who rigorously trained in table tennis for the role, in his acceptance speech.

“And you didn’t preach to the audience about what’s right and wrong, and I think we should all be telling stories like that, so thank you for this dream.”

The 30-year-old two-time Oscar nominee has in the past made no secret of his ambitions to win multiple Academy Awards, and will now be the front-runner.

Irish actress Jessie Buckley won best actress for her tragic role as the wife of William Shakespeare in the period drama Hamnet. Australian actor Jacob Elordi won best supporting actor for his portrayal of the Monster in Frankenstein, which also picked up three technical awards. American actress Amy Madigan won supporting actress for a villainous turn in horror flick Weapons.

Among the television prizes, hospital saga The Pitt won best drama, Hollywood satire The Studio won best comedy and teen murder drama Adolescence won best limited series.

Best talk-show winner Jimmy Kimmel of Jimmy Kimmel Live! joked about his 2025

spat with US President Donald Trump

, which saw the late-night host briefly taken off the air.

“Thank you, Mr President, for all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day,” said the American TV host. “A Fifa Peace Prize would have been better, but this is nice too.”

The acclaimed Critics Choice Awards are presented annually by the American Critics Choice Association, an organisation comprising roughly 600 broadcast, film and TV critics and journalists from the US and Canada.

Held early each year, the ceremony recognises outstanding achievements across film and television, and is often viewed as an early indicator of momentum heading into major awards races, including the Emmys. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, AFP