Proper now, KPop Demon Hunters is charming those that watch it with a Netflix subscription, it is breaking Netflix information, and it is dominating the music charts. This entry on the 2025 film schedule has taken the world by storm, and now a bunch of its songs are in all probability caught in thousands and thousands of individuals’s heads, which I like to see. Seeing all this success additionally jogged my memory of a query I requested the administrators about this film and its music: Is that this a musical?
Earlier than KPop Demon Hunters premiered on Netflix’s 2025 schedule, I had the prospect to interview its administrators, Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang. Throughout that dialogue, I requested them a query that would simply spark debate, which was: Is their film a musical or a film about music? In response, they instructed me it is each; nevertheless, they got here to that conclusion, particularly the musical half, “reluctantly,” as Appelhans instructed me:
I believe we might reluctantly think about it a musical now, as a result of it was such an training for us. You needed to progress the scene with each track; the lyrics wanted to not repeat themselves, all whereas staying cool, being pop track, and that was actually laborious. We had an unbelievable government music producer, Ian Eisendrath. And I believe past his musical items, he is storyteller, and he would ask actually laborious, annoying questions on, ‘Yeah, however what does this character need?’
Give it some thought, “Your Idol” tells us precisely how the Saja Boys are right here to take everybody down by making them swoon for his or her music. “Takedown” actually explains and exhibits precisely how annoyed Huntrix is with the Saja Boys and the challenges they’re presenting. “Golden” introduces us to the women’ weak sides and their drive as artists whereas additionally being the only Huntrix releases within the movie. As all musicals do, this film’s music drives the plot ahead.
Due to this fact, it’s a musical.
It’s additionally price noting that the manager music producer the director talked about, Ian Eisendrath, is not any stranger to engaged on musicals. His Broadway credit for music supervision and preparations embody Diana, A Christmas Story and Come From Away. Together with that, he was the manager music producer on the live-action Snow White, and he was an government music advisor on one of many nice musicals and finest motion pictures of 2024, Depraved. So, he is aware of find out how to inform a narrative with music and helped achieve this masterfully on KPop Demon Hunters.
Nevertheless, this film isn’t only a nice musical. It has nice music, level clean. What they did was craft wonderful pop songs that additionally function story gadgets. So, reasonably than feeling such as you’re in a traditional musical, you’re listening to these unbelievable, radio-worthy Okay-pop tracks that additionally occur to drive the narrative ahead, which was the purpose, as Appelhans instructed me:
However I believe that finally, if we did it proper, then it should not really feel like a musical. It ought to really feel like a live performance movie. And then you definately slowly understand, like, ‘Wait, this track is story,’ however by no means break the pop spell.
Properly, they by no means broke that “pop spell”; if something, they used it to get all this music caught in everybody who watches the film’s heads.
Want proof of that? In keeping with Billboard, “Golden” is No. 1 on the International 200 and No. 2 on the Sizzling 100, whereas “Soda Pop,” “Your Idol” and “How It’s Finished” sit at No. 5, 6 and seven, respectively, on the International 200. The movie’s soundtrack is No. 3 on the Billboard 200. That’s not it both; most of the movie’s different songs are charting too, exhibiting the adoration this music has.
On prime of that, most of the film’s tracks have tens of thousands and thousands of views on YouTube, with “Golden” sitting at 106 million.
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So, I’d say this crew achieved precisely what they got down to do. They made an excellent, and I imply sensible, film that makes use of its music to propel the story of this iconic lady group ahead, which makes it a musical. Nevertheless, in addition they created unbelievable pop songs that make you are feeling such as you’re at a Okay-pop live performance.
It truly is the perfect of each worlds, and I believe it’s one of many many the explanation why KPop Demon Hunters is dominating the world proper now.