History of KPop Demon Hunters in Timeline
KPop Demon Hunters is a 2025 animated musical urban fantasy film directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix, it features the voices of Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, and others. The story centers on Huntr/x, a K-pop girl group leading double lives as demon hunters. They confront the Saja Boys, a rival boy band who are secretly demons, creating a conflict blending K-pop culture with a supernatural fantasy narrative.
1995: Comparison to Waiting to Exhale
In 2025, KPop Demon Hunters became the first film soundtrack since Waiting to Exhale (1995) to feature at least three of its songs in the top 10 on Billboard.
2006: Inspiration from The Host
Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans cited Bong Joon Ho's monster movie, The Host (2006), as an inspiration for blending genres and moods in KPop Demon Hunters.
2017: Inspiration from The Villainess
For action scenes in KPop Demon Hunters, the filmmakers made use of glitter effects inspired by the South Korean film The Villainess (2017).
2018: Initial Pitch
In 2018, Maggie Kang pitched the idea for KPop Demon Hunters to Aron Warner, who was working on Wish Dragon (2021).
March 2021: Production Announcement
In March 2021, KPop Demon Hunters was reported to be in production at Sony Pictures Animation with the full creative team attached. The film was influenced by concert lighting, anime, and Korean dramas, and features original songs and a score by Marcelo Zarvos.
2021: Appelhans joins as Director
In 2021, Chris Appelhans joined Maggie Kang as director of KPop Demon Hunters, after having directed Wish Dragon (2021).
April 2022: Netflix Filing
In April 2022, Netflix registered a filing for KPop Demon Hunters.
2022: Surpassing Glass Onion
In 2025, KPop Demon Hunters' sing-along theatrical release surpassed Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) at the box office in the United States.
2022: Comparison to Stranger Things Soundtrack
In 2025, the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack reached number one on the Top Soundtracks, marking the first Netflix soundtrack to achieve this since Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 4 (2022).
February 2023: Netflix Release Confirmation
In February 2023, it was confirmed in an interview with Sony Pictures film CEO Tom Rothman that KPop Demon Hunters would be coming to Netflix.
2023: Comparison to Spider-Man Soundtrack
In 2025, it was noted that the KPop Demon Hunters album was the highest-charting animated film's soundtrack since Metro Boomin's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) at number seven.
June 2024: Release Year Announcement
In June 2024, KPop Demon Hunters was announced to be released in 2025.
April 2025: Casting Announcement
In April 2025, Ji-young Yoo was revealed to star in KPop Demon Hunters as Zoey. The rest of the cast was announced later that month.
April 2025: Release Month Reveal
In April 2025, it was revealed that KPop Demon Hunters would be released in June, with the specific date later announced as June 20, 2025.
June 20, 2025: Netflix Streaming Release
On June 20, 2025, KPop Demon Hunters began streaming on Netflix. The film received acclaim for its animation, visual style, voice acting, writing, and music and became the most-watched original title in Netflix history.
July 2025: Netflix Considers Follow-Up Projects
In July 2025, TheWrap reported that Netflix was considering potential follow-up projects to KPop Demon Hunters, including sequels, a television series, a short film, and a stage musical.
July 29, 2025: Netflix Announces KPop Demon Hunters as Most Watched Animated Film
On July 29, 2025, Netflix announced that KPop Demon Hunters had become its "most watched original animated film of all time".
August 2025: Negotiations Begin for Sequel with Original Directors
In August 2025, it was reported that Sony had begun negotiations with Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans to return for a KPop Demon Hunters follow-up film.
August 23, 2025: Theatrical Release of Sing-Along Version
On August 23, 2025, the sing-along version of KPop Demon Hunters was released in 1,700 theaters, surpassing the 698-theater release of Glass Onion. It was projected to gross $18 to $20 million during its opening weekend and became Netflix's best-performing theatrical release, earning $19.2 million in the United States and Canada.
September 2025: Debut: A KPop Demon Hunters Story Rated PG
In September 2025, Debut: A KPop Demon Hunters Story, the short film produced by Sony's LENS mentorship program and based on KPop Demon Hunters, was rated PG by the MPA.
October 2, 2025: KPop Demon Hunters Skins Added to Fortnite
On October 2, 2025, the characters Rumi, Mira, and Zoey from KPop Demon Hunters were added to the video game Fortnite as purchasable skins.
October 8, 2025: Soundtrack Platinum Certification
On October 8, 2025, the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack was certified Platinum by the RIAA, with sales exceeding 1 million units.
October 2025: Toy Licenses Granted to Hasbro and Mattel
In October 2025, Netflix granted KPop Demon Hunters toy licenses to Hasbro and Mattel, with toys based on the film scheduled to be sold at retail beginning in 2026.
October 2025: Soundtrack Platinum Certification
In October 2025, the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack was certified Platinum by the RIAA and became the first film soundtrack on the Billboard Hot 100 to have four of its songs in the top ten.
2025: Popularity of KPop Demon Hunters Costumes
During the 2025 Halloween season, KPop Demon Hunters costumes became very popular, dominating Google searches and selling out at retailers like Spirit Halloween.
2025: Release of KPop Demon Hunters
In 2025, KPop Demon Hunters, an animated musical urban fantasy film directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, was released. The film, produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix, features the voices of Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, and others, and follows a K-pop girl group who are also demon hunters, facing off against a rival boy band of demons.
2025: Soundtrack Album Success
In 2025, the soundtrack album for KPop Demon Hunters debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the highest debut for soundtracks released that year. The film's soundtrack also became the first in Billboard Hot 100 history to feature four of its songs in the top ten.
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