You know something special is happening when Netflix starts to crow about a theatrical release. This weekend, the streamer is sending a singalong version of its summer sensation KPop Demon Hunters into more than 1,700 theaters — and bragging that many showings are already sold-out. Consider it a victory lap for the animated musical, which has spent the past two months racking up achievements at a historic rate. KPop Demon Hunters just became the second-most-watched Netflix movie of all time. Its fictional trio, Huntr/x, were the first girl group to top the “Billboard Hot 100” (with the song “Golden”) since Destiny’s Child. The success of the tracks “Your Idol” and “Soda Pop” also made the movie’s soundtrack the first to have three hits in the top ten of the “Billboard Hot 100” since Waiting to Exhale. Not bad for a children’s film that dropped on streaming in late June with little advance buzz.
This is a cultural phenomenon the likes of which we haven’t seen since Encanto, so it’s worth asking the question: Can KPop Demon Hunters follow in that film’s footsteps and turn tremendous virality into Oscar gold?
As always, we must first discuss timing. Encanto started popping over the holidays, right as the Oscar race was kicking into gear. KPop Demon Hunters, by contrast, will have to sustain its momentum over the next seven months. But that extended window can provide its own benefits. Disney seemed like it was caught slightly off guard by the success of Encanto; by the time “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” became a sensation, the studio had committed to “Dos Oruguitas” as the film’s Best Original Song entry. On Demon Hunters, Netflix has the benefit of running a campaign knowing it’s already accomplished the hardest part of any awards push: making voters aware of the film.
This is also familiar territory for the streaming giant, which traditionally does well in the Animated Feature race — Netflix has had one of its films nominated every year since 2020. (Though only the 2022 entry, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, has won.) Minorly complicating matters is the fact that KPop Demon Hunters is not Netflix’s only horse in the race. The streamer has two other animated contenders coming: the Roald Dahl adaptation The Twits and the children’s adventure film In Your Dreams. Still, given the way that Demon Hunters has broken out, the streamer would be remiss not to give it a major push, and I’m told that it will.
While predictions made in August should be taken with an entire shaker of salt, the Animated Feature race this year looks crackable. Elio didn’t light the world on fire, and The Bad Guys 2 must hope to succeed where its predecessor failed. Fall will bring more heavy hitters like Zootopia 2, which will challenge the conventional wisdom that Toy Story is the only series allowed to win the trophy more than once. Out of Asia comes Mirai filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda’s Scarlet, plus the Chinese box-office sensation Ne Zha 2, which A24 is handling in the States. Neon is confident in the French film Arco. Nothing is guaranteed, but it looks like there could be a seat or two available.
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Still, were Demon Hunters to get in, it could be fighting against a prevailing trend in the Animated Feature race. Last season, Flow was the little Latvian movie that upset The Wild Robot. The year before, Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron triumphed over Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. You could certainly read that as a bad sign; in each case, the more commercial entry lost out to the artier one. But you could also see those wins as an increasingly global Academy embracing international contenders over homegrown ones. In that light, KPop Demon Hunters may be well-positioned as a compromise candidate. The film’s blend of Korean and North American influences reflects a casually borderless pop landscape; its success, as a New York Times op-ed recently put it, is “proof that we are living in a post-multicultural world.” Don’t discount, either, the power of name recognition. For many Academy members, their primary exposure to the world of animation comes through kids and grandkids. As we saw with Encanto’s victory, this summer’s repeat viewings could pay off for KPop Demon Hunters in the spring.
There’s another race, too, where Demon Hunters is hoping for gold — literally. Following the film’s release, Netflix confirmed that it would submit “Golden,” a cathartic ode to self-affirmation, as its Best Original Song entry. The song has only continued to blow up since then. In mid-August, “Golden” briefly hit No. 1 on the “Billboard Hot 100” — the top spot’s only break from somnambulant YouTuber Alex Warren — and currently sits at No. 2, with six other tracks from Demon Hunters filling out the top 40.
However, before KPop fans dream of a Barbie-style domination of the Original Song race, it’s worth noting that this mercurial category should be on something of an upswing this year. “Golden” will be competing against a Cynthia Erivo–penned song from Wicked: For Good, at least one number from “Sinners,” plus the customary nomination for Diane Warren. (Which this year seems likely to be “Dear Me” from Warren’s own documentary, Diane Warren: Relentless.) Recall, too, that “Billboard Hot 100” success is no guarantee of Oscar attention. Despite winning Best Animated Feature, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse couldn’t even boost Post Malone and Swae Lee’s chart-topper “Sunflower” onto the Original Song shortlist.
Luckily, “Golden” also has an advantage over much of the competition: It’s not just an end-credits song. Rather, it plays a pivotal part in the action of the film itself. That’s usually a significant advantage, as proven by recent Original Song winners such as RRR’s “Naatu Naatu” and Emilia Pérez’s “El Mal.” If this year’s Original Song race comes down to Demon Hunters versus the vampires of Sinners, that could add some much-needed juice to this perennially uncherished category.
