K-Pop Demon Huntersisn’t just one of the biggest animated films of the decade, it’s now one of the most popular originalNetflixmovies of all time. Just this past week, it set a new record for the streaming service by claiming the top spot more than five weeks after its release, and that’s without mentioning how songs by its two fictional bands are topping charts around the world.
The film didn’t receive a theatrical release, and part of me is curious whether it would have experienced the same level of success if it wasn’t so widely available to every kind of audience.
you’re able to’t go on social media right now without seeing fanart of its three main characters or stumbling upon a TikTok video without hearing ‘Soda Pop’ or ‘Golden’ blaring in the back. It is wonderful to see a film with such a fascinating yet simple concept land with a bang, and I am not surprised that Sony/Netflix are already considering how to expand it into a franchise. There is potential for sequels, spin-offs, multimedia projects, and, unfortunately, a live-action remake.
K-Pop Demon Hunters Wouldn’t Be The Same Outside Of Animation
Speaking to sister siteScreen Rant, director Maggie Kang has already expanded on the very real possibility of a sequel or similar continuation, noting how “there are a lot of pockets that we can explore” when it comes to the three heroines, Rumi, Mira, and Zoey. Each girl has the charisma needed to carry their own films or individual character arcs.
I also wouldn’t be very shocked if Sony and Netflix had already tapped Kang to potentially helm a sequel, since its popularity is widespread enough for it to slowly but surely become a tentpole franchise. But animation takes time, especially a film like this, which was in production for half a decade, so you’re able to’t help but wonder if corporations will leverage its popularity in other ways. Through merchandise, a lower-budget television series, or perhaps a live-action remake.
The mythology of K-Pop Demon Hunters also concerns a musical team of each generation that is tasked with fighting demons to protect the human realm. What began as small bands singing at public houses expanded to a girl group on the same level of popularity as BTS or Blackpink performing in packed-out arenas, all while trying to save the world. It’s so fun and smart, expressing a level of exuberant ridiculousness that animation of this ilk does so much justice.
If anything, Demon Hunters is proof you can craft animated universes and characters with immediate cross-media appeal. Just look at how songs from Huntrix are charting across different streaming services right now.
Sony Pictures Animation changed the industry forever with the release of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse back in 2018. This superhero masterpiece was a breath of fresh air in an animation landscape that had largely left traditional 2D artistry behind in favour of pretty yet repetitive efforts from Pixar, Dreamworks, and Illumination that left studios alongside the audiences they intended to serve in an unfortunate funk.
Spider-Verse’s critical success and box office haul were proof that things could be different, and since then we’ve seen similar gems likeThe Mitchells vs. the Machines,Nimona, The Bad Guys,Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and Now K-Pop Demon Hunters follow in its footsteps. Perhaps more excitingly, this has Sony putting all the lessons learned from that experience into an all-new property.
Pivoting To A Live-Action Remake Feels Like Admitting Defeat
While official discussion of K-Pop Demon Hunters receiving a live-action adaptation hasn’t taken place yet, and only a few rumours are swirling online right now, it’s still a fear I can’t help harbouring, given how major companies have responded to animation’s success in the past. Aside from pumping out sequels and failing to market its original efforts, Disney is now all aboard the live-action remake train, and why wouldn’t it be when Lilo & Stitch has already made $1 billion worldwide? Money talks, but it also frames the original versions of such films as artistically inferior, as if their history needs to be overwritten instead of embraced by new generations.
I’ve written about this unfortunate phenomenon before,notably when The Academy referred to animation as a children’s mediumand something that can’t be taken seriously, especially in comparison to live-action efforts which apparently demand more respect because they’re not catering to young audiences. An assumption which is factually untrue, but that irritatingly hasn’t stopped it from bleeding into the public consciousness.
I’ve tried to recommend many animated films or shows to family and friends only to be told “it’s for kids” as they move onto something else. This opinion only exists because of an unfair history, and we shouldn’t need to adapt animated classics - both old and new - into live-action for them to be worthwhile.
Chances are I’m worrying about nothing, and K-Pop Demon Hunters will call animation its home forever, but with the film breaking records and being watched by millions, it’s only a matter of time until live-action discussions take place. I want to see this universe grow with time, but not if it means throwing away what made it so special in the first place.
