June 20 marks the one-year anniversary of Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” release.
Since then, the animated feature has spent 52 consecutive weeks on the streamer’s Top 10 list, shattering records and making history along the way — including becoming Netflix’s most-watched movie ever and winning the Oscar and Grammy for best original song for “Golden,” the first K-pop song to take home an Oscar. No one could have predicted its phenomenal success, which took the industry by surprise and left fans clamoring for merchandise, more music, more stories and anything “Demon Hunters” related.
Even co-director and creator of “Demon Hunters,” Maggie Kang, who conceived the idea over 10 years ago, never imagined the film would take off the way it did. Kang told Variety, “When Chris [Appelhans] and I were making this, we hoped it would connect with people, but seeing fans around the world — from Seoul to Brazil to Los Angeles — embracing these characters, creating their own art and living in this world has been a dream.” She adds, “It’s no longer just a movie; it’s become a global community.”
Kang says, “It’s clear that the film moved far beyond the screen. It now belongs to the fans who saw themselves in our demon hunters, and that connection is the greatest reward.”
