K-pop Demon Hunters, Netflix’s unexpected hit movie of 2025, has burst onto the scene.
This massively successful franchise is topping charts and stealing the hearts of fans, having surpassed massive shows like The Mitchells vs. The Machines and Squid Game as the most watched Netflix title ever.
Not only that, but K-pop Demon Hunters is bringing a lot of representation to Korean culture.
Cute characters such as Derpy the tiger and Sussie the bird were actually inspired by Korean artworks.
Jihyun Kim, PV High Korean teacher, explained that “they originate from the Tiger and Magpie Painting, and the tiger represents authorities, so by drawing it cutely, it makes fun of authorities.”
It’s not just an example of good representation of Korean culture, but Digital Animation. Teacher Kristy Jimenez also recommends it,“just for the fight scenes”, since ”the action is stunning from an artistic standpoint.”
On top of that, Jimenez also says that it’s very “original in the way that they released that film and it’s so successful because of it.”
The movie originally released on Netflix and came to theaters with a singalong remix.
The singalong version of K-pop demon hunters that released on August 23 only played for two days but it was estimated to gross between 16 and 18 million dollars in ticket sales, according to NBC News.
On top of that, the soundtrack has been nominated for several accolades. “Golden” has been submitted for a Grammy, and five of the songs from the soundtrack are in the top 15 of the Billboard Hot 100. “Golden” has even been at the number one spot of the billboard top 200 for six weeks.
The movie is also speculated to qualify for the Oscars in two categories – Best Animated Feature and Best Animated Song.
Fans of the movie, such as freshman Lacey Kakazu, said that, “the song Free is really good. It just shows the chemistry between the characters and the love story, and Soda Pop is so fun and uplifting.”
So where is the series going from here? Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix have to agree to terms because neither can make another movie without the other, but it’s been confirmed that more content is coming.
The possibilities of two sequels, a controversial live action, a stage musical, an animated series and a short film are being discussed.
With catchy songs, beautiful art, and incredible characters, K-Pop Demon Hunters has been rising in popularity and the phenomenon shows no signs of stopping.