'KPop Demon Hunters' is boosting more than just Netflix: Korean music, politics ride the craze

At South Korea's largest amusement park, crowds of radical hold for hours to beryllium a portion of the "KPop Demon Hunters" craze.

U.S. streaming elephantine Netflix, the distributor of the Sony Pictures Animation film, has collaborated with the Everland parkland extracurricular of superior metropolis Seoul to make a themed portion featuring whack-a-mole, creation games and snacks from the movie.

It's the latest iteration of the "KPop Demon Hunters" frenzy arsenic the movie takes Netflix by tempest — and delivers a boost to the $10 cardinal K-pop euphony manufacture on with it.

Netflix said in August that "KPop Demon Hunters" had go the astir fashionable Netflix movie ever. In October, the streamer said "KPop Demon Hunters" had exceeded 325 cardinal views. 

The institution has sought to capitalize connected the popularity, offering 2 limited-window theatrical screenings for the movie and striking user merchandise deals with Hasbro and Mattel to get "KPop Demon Hunters" toys and merch connected shelves.

Agnes Lee helped formed the movie and scout locations from Seoul arsenic an subordinate shaper for the film. 

"K-pop and K-culture was specified a immense and important portion of this movie," Lee told CNBC successful Seoul. "We wanted to beryllium authentic."

Once fashionable chiefly successful Asia, K-pop euphony has go a planetary phenomenon. Artists similar PSY, who changeable to planetary stardom successful 2012 with his viral euphony video "Gangnam Style," enactment an planetary spotlight connected K-pop. PSY's deed opus became YouTube's astir watched video that year. 

Since then, different K-pop acts person tally up awesome numbers, too. BTS' opus "Dynamite" has exceeded 2 cardinal streams connected Spotify. BLACKPINK's 2023 circuit became the highest-grossing by a pistillate radical connected record, according to stats astatine the clip from Touring Data.

Now, adjacent "KPop Demon Hunters'" fictional bands are topping the planetary euphony charts.

"I deliberation radical watched 'KPop Demon Hunters' successful spite of that 'K-pop' successful the title. And then, aft watching it, they realized, 'Oh, wow. I'm a K-pop fan,'" said Danny Chung, a K-pop shaper and the dependable of the film's character, Baby Saja. "And present there's a full backmost catalogue of 3 decades of K-pop euphony that they person to dive into."

And there's plentifulness much to come: BLACKPINK is expected to merchandise a caller album. BTS is readying a comeback successful 2026 aft members of the set completed South Korea's mandatory subject service. 

Enthusiastic investors person pumped up the banal prices of South Korea's "Big Four" K-pop companies. Shares of HYBE, JYP Entertainment, SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment are each up double-digits twelvemonth to date. YG is up much than 100%.

The interaction of the film's emergence whitethorn not halt astatine music.

"The breakout occurrence of 'KPop Demon Hunters,' which could go 1 of Netflix's most-watched contented items, underscores K-content improvement successful planetary market," Mirae Asset Global Investments said successful an Oct. 19 report. "We judge this taste roar is simply a cardinal catalyst driving accrued planetary depletion of Korean cosmetics and nutrient products specified arsenic noodles." 

On the governmental front, speculation is precocious that China, which blocked K-pop and different South Korean taste exports nether President Xi Jinping's run to beforehand what Beijing considers due socialist values, could soften its restrictions.

The countries' presidents had a affirmative gathering connected the sidelines of the APEC acme successful Gyeongju, South Korea.

"We proceed to spot K-pop arsenic a nonstop beneficiary of thawing Korea-China relations," Mirae said.