Netflix KPop Demon Hunters promotes Korean music and politics

At South Korea’s largest theme park, crowds of people wait for hours to be part of the “KPop Demon Hunters” craze.

American broadcast giant netflix, Sony Pictures Animation, distributor of the film, has teamed up with Everland Park outside Seoul to create a themed area featuring batting games, dancing and snacks from the film.

It’s the latest installment of the “KPop Demon Hunters” craze as the film takes Netflix by storm — and provides a boost to the $10 billion K-pop music industry.

Netflix said in August that the KPop film Demon Hunters had become the most popular movie on Netflix ever. In October, the streamer said that the KPop series Demon Hunters had surpassed 325 million views.

The company sought to capitalize on the popularity, offering two limited-window theatrical releases for the film and striking deals with consumer products Hasbro and Mattel To get “KPop Demon Hunters” toys and merchandise on shelves.

Agnes Lee helped select the film and scouted locations from Seoul as co-producer of the film.

“K-pop music and Korean culture were a big and important part of this movie,” Lee told CNBC in Seoul. “We wanted to be original.”

Hugely popular in Asia, K-Pop music has become a global phenomenon. Artists like PSY, who rose to global stardom in 2012 with his viral music video “Gangnam Style,” have brought K-pop into the global spotlight. PSY’s hit song became the most viewed video on YouTube that year.

Since then, other K-Pop acts have achieved amazing numbers as well. BTS’s song “Dynamite” has surpassed 2 billion streams Spotify. BLACKPINK’s 2023 tour became the highest-grossing by a female group ever, according to statistics at the time from Touring Data.

Now, even the fictional KPop Demon Hunters are topping the global music charts.

“I think people watched the KPop movie Demon Hunters even though there was the word K-pop in the title. After watching it, they realized: Oh, wow. I’m a K-pop fan,” said Danny Chung, K-Pop producer and voice of the film’s character Baby Saga. “And now there’s an entire catalog of three decades of K-pop that they have to dive into.”

And there’s a lot more to come: BLACKPINK is expected to release a new album. BTS plans to make a comeback in 2026 after the band members complete their mandatory military service in South Korea.

Excited investors have driven up the stock prices of South Korea’s “Big Four” K-pop companies. HYBE, JYP Entertainment, SM Entertainment, and YG Entertainment are all up by double digits year-to-date. YG rose more than 100%.

The film’s rise may not stop at the music.

“The huge success of the KPop movie Demon Hunters, which could become one of the most-watched content items on Netflix, confirms the phenomenon of Korean content in the global market,” Mirae Asset Global Investments said in a report dated October 19. “We believe this cultural prosperity is a major catalyst leading to increased international consumption of Korean cosmetics and food products such as noodles.”

On the political front, there is high speculation that China, which has banned K-pop and other South Korean cultural exports under President Xi Jinping’s campaign to promote what Beijing sees as proper socialist values, could ease its restrictions.

The heads of state held a positive meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Jeonju, South Korea.

“We still see K-Pop as a direct beneficiary of the thaw in Korea-China relations,” Mirae said.