When KPop Demon Hunters released on Netflix on June 20, 2025, K-Pop fans around the world were excited to see what was in store. The movie, which centers around a girl group tasked with maintaining the balance of their world by hunting demons, quickly became much more than a treat for those already immersed in the world of K-Pop music.

With a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and its consistent placement in the top two slots of Netflix’s Top 10, KPop Demon Hunters is proving that its success is more than just a blip in the streaming machine. The potential longevity of this film is further cemented by its chart success.

Not only did the soundtrack peak at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, but all eight of its original songs landed on the Billboard H๏τ 100, making it the highest-charting soundtrack of the year so far. Keeping all of this in mind, is it finally time for K-Pop to fully break through into the mainstream?

HUNTR/X Is Bringing K-Pop Into The Mainstream

The Movie Provides A Pressure-Free Gateway Into K-Pop Music

For viewers who were already familiar with K-Pop, songs like “Soda Pop” and “Golden” immediately sounded familiar. The creators of the film cited groups like BLACKPINK, BTS, and ATEEZ as inspiration for the KPop Demon Hunters characters and music, making the end product feel like a love letter to the genre.

These inspirations provide fans of the film with a solid foundation to stand on that seamlessly allows them to dip their toes in K-Pop without much pressure. Thanks to the dialogue and lyrics being mostly in English and a well-loved animation style, anyone who loves movies and/or music is sure to find something to like about KPop Demon Hunters.

One of the greatest aspects of this film is that it never shies away from the fact that it’s about K-Pop and Korean culture. It’s right there in the name, yet millions of viewers all around the world have given it a sH๏τ and loved it.

If HUNTR/X and Saja Boys can make it big on the Billboard H๏τ 100, something only 23 K-Pop artists have done since 2009, there’s no telling how bright the future of K-Pop could be.

K-Pop Could Have A More Dominant Presence After This

There Is Clear Demand For Stories Around K-Pop & An Interest In The Music Worldwide

The success of KPop Demon Hunters and its soundtrack is unavoidable. Those who haven’t even watched the film yet are singing the lyrics to its catchy songs throughout their day and seeing clips pop up on their feeds. If anything, this proves that original stories and ideas will always be welcome. Clearly there is a demand for stories of this nature.

Thanks to groups like BTS and BLACKPINK, the globalization of K-Pop was already underway. Jungkook and Jennie are practically household names, but no one could have predicted that an animated film about a K-Pop girl group fighting demons would be the push that everyone needed to finally give the genre a real try.

The comparisons of actual idols to those in the film and of the original songs to K-Pop songs offer a form of free promotion. For example, San of ATEEZ and Wonho, formerly of MONSTA X, bear an undeniable likeness to Abby of the Saja Boys, while “How It’s Done” by HUNTR/X follows a similar structure to many BLACKPINK songs.

It doesn’t go unnoticed that both TWICE and ATEEZ released new albums on the same day, something many fans of the film compared to a HUNTR/X and Saja Boys battle in real time. Both groups saw chart success, and the continuous relevance of KPop Demon Hunters allowed them to soar even higher. Here’s to hoping this continues to elevate K-Pop as a whole.