Official poster for "KPop Demon Hunters" (Netflix)
By Jeon Misun
"KPop Demon Hunters," an animated action musical featuring K-pop, is a worldwide hit after topping Netflix's global movie charts for four consecutive days.
FlixPatrol, a platform that studies trends of video streaming services, said the movie as of June 24 topped Netflix's film charts in 41 countries including Korea, the U.S., Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore and Portugal following its global release on June 20.
The movie is about the K-pop girl group Huntrix comprising Rumi, Mira and Joy, who secretly hunt demons when not performing.
The voice cast generated plenty of buzz before the film's release for including renowned actors like Lee Byung-hun and Ahn Hyo-seop, while the theme song features Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung of the girl group TWICE.
"KPop Demon Hunters" was directed by Chris Appelhans, best known for "Hotel Transylvania," and Korean Canadian Maggie Kang and produced by Sony Pictures Animation.
Born in Seoul and raised in Toronto, Kang said she grew up listening to first-generation K-pop acts like Seo Taiji and H.O.T., adding that she incorporated traditional Korean elements into every aspect of the design to make it as Korean as possible.
Hailed for visually expressing uniquely Korean aesthetics, the feature displays cultural elements such as N Seoul Tower, giwajip (traditional tile-roofed houses) and the jeoseungsaja, a grim reaper from folklore.
msjeon22@korea.kr
