You’d be hard-pressed to go online these days and not read something about KPop Demon Hunters. The Sony animated film has been steadily building momentum, making headlines with its chart-topping songs and record-breaking views (which is currently at approx 236 million).
Critics are crowning it the movie of the summer, racking up commercial success both in theaters (the film made an estimated $18-20 million during its limited release, a Netflix first) and via streaming. It should come as no surprise that both Netflix and Sony have started the conversation about a sequel, according to Variety, with hopes of capitalizing on the enormous potential of a KPop Demon Hunters franchise.
KPop Demon Hunters has been putting up numbers all across the board
The KPop Demon Hunters craze has been taking the world by storm, putting up impressive numbers across multiple industries. Its soundtrack alone has been making a splash in the US, blowing past records on streaming services and defying the odds on Billboard charts. That’s not even taking the response online into consideration.
On YouTube alone, there are countless videos of fans and pop idols recreating some of Demon Hunters' biggest hits, including an official rendition of “Take Down” from the world-renowned K-pop group TWICE. Sony and Netflix have also capitalized on the music’s popularity, with the streaming service offering exclusive song clips and performances while Sony Pictures Animation uploaded a 20-track playlist that includes a David Guetta remix of HUNTR/X’s wildly popular anthem “Golden”.
While the soundtrack proves to be a force to be reckoned with, the anime film has been holding its own on Netflix, leaving many to question why Sony chose to share the success with the streaming platform versus keeping the IP for themselves.
As of Wednesday, Aug 24, KPop Demon Hunters is the number one English movie on Netflix in multiple categories, sustaining its number one spot as the most-watched movie in the US for 10 consecutive weeks. Additionally, the Sony animated film currently holds the title for the most popular U.S. movie of all time, clocking in at over 393 million hours viewed, which is insane considering the movie was released in June.
Netflix has also reportedly experienced a boom in retail sales, with KPop Demon Hunters fans flooding to the Netflix shop in droves to snatch up official Hunters merch (and with a 13-page catalog that includes HUNTR/X Funko Pops, there's plenty to choose from.)
What could a KPop Demon Hunters sequel look like?
KPop Demon Hunters takes you on a journey to a mythical universe where glamorous pop stars reign and music has the power to snatch souls and slay demons. Directed by Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang, the story follows Rumi (Arden Cho), Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), and Mira (May Hong): three talented divas who make up the K-pop trio HUNTR/X and secretly take down demons using the power of song.
Although the film puts HUNTR/X in the spotlight—as they work together to take down a rival boyband competing for the hearts and souls of their adoring fans—it's Rumi’s character that takes center stage, something that director Kang says was by design. “This was Rumi’s story, “ the writer/director tells Variety, noting that the movie originally included backstories for Zoey and Mira, but it just didn’t fit the flow of the film: “There’s only so much movie you could tell in 85 minutes.”
However, the good news is: Demon Hunters leaving us with unexplored territory creates space for expansion, allowing the sequel to delve deeper into lore that didn’t make the cut in the first run through.
In addition to the backstories of the HUNTR/X crew, the sequel could explore the world of demon hunting more, introducing us to older generations of hunters or hunters that live in parallel worlds (considering all the K-pop crossovers going on in the music industry, a collab with another demon-slaying artist would be fire). And with big bad Gwi-Ma determined to defeat the demon hunters for good, KPop Demon Hunters 2 could open up the world of Korean demonology and introduce us to new characters like the adorable Derpy and Sussy.
With the buzz only growing louder, KPop Demon Hunters 2 feels like the encore fans deserve.
Whether the sequel takes the idols on a world tour or deeper into the underworld, audiences are eager to see where Netflix and Sony take the story next.
KPop Demon Hunters is streaming now on Netflix.