June 20th marks the one-year anniversary of the release of Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters.
Since then, the animated feature has spent 52 consecutive weeks on the streamer’s top 10 list, breaking records and making history in the process. That includes becoming the most-watched movie in Netflix history and winning an Oscar and Grammy for Best Original Song for “Golden,” the first K-pop song to win an Oscar. This incredible success was something no one could have predicted, and it took the industry by surprise, with fans clamoring for merchandise, music, stories, and everything else related to Demon Hunter.
Even co-director and Demon Hunters creator Maggie Kang, who came up with the idea over a decade ago, never imagined the film would take off the way it did. Kang told Variety, “When Chris[Appelhans]and I were making this, we wanted it to connect with people, but it was a dream to see fans all over the world, from Seoul to Brazil to Los Angeles, embrace these characters and create their own art and live in this world.” She added, “This is no longer just a movie, it’s a global community.”
Director Kang said, “It’s clear that this movie touched us far beyond the screen. This movie now belongs to the fans who saw themselves in our Demon Hunter, and that connection is the biggest reward.”
What Netflix does behind the scenes is all about nourishing its fan base, and the studio’s marketing and publicity teams are paying close attention and listening. And if anyone knows anything about fandom, it’s the company’s chief marketing officer, Marian Lee.
“While it’s easier to cultivate a fandom in this digital age than it was in the past when people applied to join fan clubs, it’s also difficult to stay focused on what they want because the number of fans has grown so much,” Lee said.
A sequel is currently in production and in early stages of development. However, that hasn’t stopped fans from writing fan fiction and posting videos on YouTube. “My son is a huge fan and he came home from school and said, ‘I heard this: Rumi has twins and there’s this storyline and it’s going to be in the second movie.’ I said, ‘Buddy, I haven’t even seen the script yet, so I promise you that’s not the case,'” she laughed.
When working with partners, Lee says he has a simple mission. “We embrace the most important principle in every series: Does this make sense for the world? Is this what the fans want? Is this what the fans are going to be passionate about?” But that’s not the end. Collaboration with filmmakers is also important. “We ask, ‘What do you think about that?’ And they’re good at adding to the story and being involved enough to say, ‘Okay, girls wouldn’t do this in real life.’ So how do we adjust it so it feels authentic?”
Collaboration happens across all disciplines. In the game, Fortnite has added official skins for the characters. General Mills ended its partnership with the cereal, and Anua launched a co-branded K-Beauty line. This weekend, TikTok Live is hosting a Global Watch Party. But Lee recalls that it wasn’t always this easy.
“We started a number of years ago and were pitching partners to help us,” she says, adding that the team attended the Las Vegas Licensing Expo and the London Brand Licensing Show last year. “We didn’t have a finished film. It was very difficult for them to imagine not being able to really build enthusiasm for this film with our partners.”
“At the time, no one wanted to partner with us,” she says. So the team at Netflix decided to produce the products themselves, ordering T-shirts, hoodies, and other merchandise. “It’s fun stuff that the fans like,” Lee said. “And we put them on the Netflix Shop, which ended up being a blessing in disguise for us, because all of our partners called us that first weekend and asked, ‘How can we get involved?'”
Hasbro CEO Chris Cox also acknowledged the missed opportunity on the Decoder podcast.
As the movie and its music began to explode last summer, brands like Hasbro, Lego, Mattel and even McDonald’s “took all their creative juices out” and accelerated their development processes to bring “Demon Hunter” products to market, Lee said. “For the dolls, Mattel and Hasbro have entered into a joint master toy agreement that has never been done in the history of any franchise, which really speaks to the strength of this work.”
The McDonald’s tie-in was built around the rivalry between two K-pop groups at the heart of the film, the demon-hunting girl group Huntr/X and their rival Saja Boys. “There was a story there, there was custom animation, and the singing talent of both parties participated,” Lee said. Of all the collaborations, this one meant the most to Lee. The meals incorporate Korean culture and food traditions into the mainstream. Lee says, “As I’m Korean, I opened my breakfast sandwich and saw Korean writing on the wrapper, so I took a picture of it. I never thought I’d see it on an Egg McMuffin, but I also felt like I had a small part in making it a reality.” Lee added, “Even when we’re working with partners, we strive to stay true to what our fans want.”
This particular partnership resonated with fans who were excited to collect character cards. But it also resonated with the cast.
Audrey Nuna, who provided Mila’s singing voice, said she often went to fast food chains on her way to auditions, and said, “It was a beautiful symbol of the true fusion of this movie.”
Similarly, for Rumi’s singing voice, Arden Cho: “Growing up in America, I feel like it’s a dream for all of America. Being a Happy Meal is so cool, I never thought it would be on my once-in-a-lifetime list.” Cho added, “Why didn’t I choose Huntr/X? It had to be really playful, and I felt it was so much fun.”
There were many other partnerships as well. Mei Hong, who plays Mira, says, “Shin Ramen was the craziest collaboration.” Seeing Hunter/X on the package meant the most to her. She says the instant noodle brand is “a household staple and a national treasure.”
Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, the film’s phenomenal success changed the lives of everyone involved, with many more collaborations planned for the future. Live concerts are also planned. Later this year, immersive houses will open in Dallas and Philadelphia where fans can step into the world of the movies. Again, photography and music recording will also be part of the experience. That’s what the fans want.
Nuna reflected on how the film’s story has developed over the past year and how it has been received. “This is a story that begins in a second-grade classroom in Manalapan, New Jersey, where I didn’t feel accepted and felt like I didn’t belong. This film really changed that for me. As an artist, every time I heal, I find it hard to share about it. And that’s more importantly true for this next generation as well, like understanding that this movie has the potential to proactively heal and prevent certain wounds for this next generation and maybe for Ray, May, EJAE, Maggie and everyone involved in the movie. She continued, “Seeing this film made me want to continue to be a part of that movement, to have that impact, and to make clearer, better music as a result.”
EJAE, Yoo Ji Young, Audrey Noona, Arden Cho, Mei Hong, and Lei Ami will be in charge of singing and acting for “Kpop Demon Hunter.”
Dan Dopersky (Variety)
What will happen to Hunter/X’s singing and acting voice in the future?
Singer-songwriter EJAE, who performed at the FIFA World Cup, told Variety at the Gold House Gold Gala, “I’m writing an album. I’m going to continue writing for other movies and other artists, so I’m really looking forward to collaborating.”
Cho is hard at work planning her destination wedding, which had been postponed due to promotions for the film. She says, “We’re in post-production on ‘Perfect Girl.'” There were a ton of musical projects that were put on pause. We’re starting to think about a schedule for when we’ll start releasing some of them. It’s a very creative way of expression. She further added, “I have a lot of original songs that I wrote before and during the pandemic. The songs are very different from the songs I’ve released in the past, they’re a little more poppy.”
Yoo Ji-young, who voices Zoe, said that her next project is the movie “K-Pop Superstar.” The actress underwent extensive vocal training, which she found “incredibly physically demanding.” The film was shot in South Korea and follows a young Korean-American woman who goes against her family’s wishes to compete in a televised competition to find the next K-Pop girl group. “I danced almost every day. I embraced all the parts of myself that were most like her, instead of trying to fit into the character like I had done in previous roles,” she told Variety.
Hong is working on an indie film, which will be released soon. Currently, she can be seen on Hulu’s “Not Cut to Work.” “It’s a Mindy Kaling workplace comedy, and we shot it in the fall when work started, so it was really fun to do it under these circumstances.”
Ray Ami said, “The first single of my new album will be released this summer. I’m preparing the best live show of my life for my next tour…The album is almost finished…I’m so excited to start this new chapter!”
And Nuna says she’s working on new music. Nuna says she chose music to help her process things in her life as she went through a lot of changes last year. “Music is a space where I feel like I can really understand my life in a different way than most people. I’m reflecting and processing and also preparing for this year’s Summer Festival, where I’m really excited to perform my songs.”
This is a feat that will surely be remembered in 10 years, Lee said. “Ten years from now, when we look back, the filmmakers created something special that resonates with fans, and everyone has a hand in making this happen.”
