Movie News

“KPop Demon Hunters” By The Numbers: How The Animated Film Broke Records And Broke Through To Become Netflix’s Biggest Title Ever

It’s officially been a year since “KPop Demon Hunters” first showed fans how it’s done, done, done, and we still can’t get “Golden” out of our heads (and hearts). But the many earworms of HUNTR/X and Saja Boys are just the tip of the ramyeon cup.

To celebrate the film’s one-year anniversary, Netflix is hosting screenings around the world in theaters, outdoors and even on TikTok. Netflix House will also have special activations for the anniversary, getting fans ready to restore the harmony before “KPop Demon Hunters: The Immersive Experience” opens at both locations this holiday season.

In addition to welcoming the demon hunters into Netflix’s home, they’re making it easier to bring the film’s fan-favorite characters into your home with a new LEGO Derpy Tiger and Sussie Bird set (available for pre-order now), and toys from Mattel, Hasbro and Jazwares will be available at participating online retailers beginning June 22nd around the world. There’s also a new “KPop Demon Hunters” experience launching June 20th in Netflix Playground, made up of six mobile minigames that immerse players in the hit songs from the movie through DJ mixing, a Honmoon Beats rhythm game, jigsaw puzzles, stickers and more.

As Netflix gears up for June 20th, they’re raising a glass of “Soda Pop” and looking back at the franchise’s global impact.

GLUED TO THE COUCH, COUCH, COUCH

It’s not just your family that’s had this movie on repeat. The film has had millions yearning for their couches and TVs for months, amassing more than 600M views since its June 20th, 2025, debut, making it the most popular original title in Netflix history and the only title ever to spend 52 straight weeks on Netflix’s Global Top 10. The movie has reached the Top 10 in all 93 countries where we have Top 10 lists and #1 in 76 countries.

In the US alone, “KPop Demon Hunters” was the most-streamed movie of 2025, with a whopping 20.5B viewing minutes according to end-of-year Nielsen data. Fans also sang along to the “KPop Demon Hunters Lyric Videos,” which have pulled in another 32M views worldwide.

And one viewing is clearly not enough for Netflix members, who have saved 1.5M unique Moments from the movie. Saja Boys’ performance of “Soda Pop” ranks as the most-saved Moment.

WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE (WHEN A SOUNDTRACK BREAKS THROUGH)

This is what it sounds like… when one soundtrack takes the world by storm. The official soundtrack for “KPop Demon Hunters” left no prisoners demons, breaking records across Spotify, Billboard and more to become the unofficial anthem of 2025 (and beyond).

The soundtrack spent two weeks at #1 on Billboard’s 200 Albums, reaching over 15B streams worldwide to become the most-streamed soundtrack of the decade. Fans filled up more than 17K playlists worldwide with songs from the soundtrack. Together, the songs of fictional bands HUNTR/X and Saja Boys have surpassed 1B streams across Spotify and YouTube.

Hit single “Golden” held the #1 spot on the Billboard Global 200 for 18 weeks, tying for the longest run at #1. The song also spent eight weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first-ever #1 by a female K-Pop act and the longest-running #1 by a female group of the century. “Golden” also became the fastest track to break into Spotify’s Billions Club, with more than 1B streams.

And it wasn’t just “Golden’s” time to shine. Saja Boys’ “Soda Pop” reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, one of the soundtrack’s record-breaking four simultaneous songs in the Top 10.

WE’RE GOING UP, UP, UP

A takedown? More like a takeover. “KPop Demon Hunters” has amassed 4.6B social impressions, including 2.3B just for the “Golden” Official Lyric Video on YouTube. Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” Roblox experience has generated 11.5M hours of combined play time.

SWEEPING IDOL AWARDS

The Idol Awards were just the beginning. The film, and its beloved anthem “Golden,” won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 2026 Academy Awards, making “Golden” the first K-pop song to win an Oscar and the film’s co-director and co-writer Maggie Kang the first woman of Korean descent to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. In addition to its two Golden Globe wins in the same categories, “Golden” made history at the Grammys as the first K-pop song to win for Best Song Written for Visual Media.

CONQUERING THE WORLD STAGE

The film’s catchy tunes almost instantly jumped off the screen and onto the world stage. At the 2025 US Open, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic busted out his best Saja Boys choreography to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. Across the pond at Buckingham Palace in the UK, the Band of the Scots Guards sided with HUNTR/X, performing “Golden” for guests and onlookers.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung bridged the divide by jamming on the drums to “Golden” during a January summit in Japan.

However, no region has felt the impact quite like the film’s setting, Korea. Since the film’s debut, the region has seen a 25% spike in flight reservations and Bunjang, South Korea’s leading online marketplace, reported a 78% surge in cross-border purchases of K-pop consumer products. In the US alone, Duolingo saw a 22% jump in Korean language learners in the last year.

On search, everything keeps coming up “Golden,” literally. According to Google’s Year in Search for 2025, “KPop Demon Hunters” was the #1 movie, had three of the top 10 songs of the year and was the #2 overall trending search. The film also claimed all five spots on the top five most-searched Halloween costumes in 2025, according to Google Trends.

FOR THE FANS

Whether you’re team HUNTR/X or Saja Boys, Netflix has been launching new merchandise since last summer for fans of all ages to show their team pride, from authentic K-snacks with Nongshim and K-beauty with Anua to Mattel dolls and Hasbro role-play items, to Halloween costumes and coloring books, to inspired-by apparel and accessories with Netflix Shop, Zara Kids, Vans, Old Navy and much more.

HUNTR/X has even made the leap from stage to the page with Little Golden Books’ For the Fans (“KPop Demon Hunters”), which has sold over 1.6M copies across the US, UK, Canada, Germany and Spain. The book is also a #1 New York Times Bestseller, logging 18 weeks on the New York Times Picture Book Bestseller list.

Earlier this year, McDonald’s brought the battle of bands to fans around the world with dueling HUNTR/X and Saja Boys-inspired adult meals featuring Spicy Saja McMuffins and Ramyeon McShaker™ Fries, Hunter and Demon Sauces and Soda Pops – complete with exclusive fan experiences.

Just last month, bemyfriends launched their second official fandom merchandise pop-up in Seoul and will make stops this summer around the world, in Hong Kong, Jakarta, Singapore, Bangkok, Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Dubai, Frankfurt, Gurugram, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. And global collectibles brand KAYOU recently launched trading cards featuring fan-favorite characters and movie moments in a variety of designs and rarity styles, including the most collectible “Energy” card series inspired by “Golden.”

Netflix’s next act is their most exciting yet, with the recently announced global concert tour coming to a city near you in 2027.

“KPop Demon Hunters” is now streaming — only on Netflix.

 

Facebook10k
X (Twitter)20k
Pinterest1.5k
LinkedIn2.2k

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.