KPop Demon Hunters, an animated feature blending the world of K-pop with Korean shamanism, has become the most watched film in Netflix’s history, the streaming giant said Wednesday.

Since its June 20 release, the film has amassed 236 million views, overtaking Red Notice (2021), which previously held the record at 230.9 million, according to Netflix’s companion site Tudum.

When factoring in both films and series, KPop Demon Hunters now sits at No. 3 on Netflix’s all-time chart. Only season one of Squid Game (2021–) with 265.2 million views and season one of Wednesday (2022–) with 252.1 million rank higher. With nearly three weeks left before Netflix finalizes its 91-day viewership tally, industry watchers say the film could potentially surpass Wednesday and even challenge Squid Game’s record.

Now in its 10th week, the film also led Netflix’s global weekly film chart for the week of Aug. 18–24, topping both English and non-English categories. It secured the No. 1 spot in 32 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

The film’s success has drawn international media attention. Glamour magazine praised it as one of Netflix’s most successful originals, citing its themes of self-acceptance and imperfection as resonant for young women worldwide. Business Insider quoted Brandon Katz of Greenlight Analytics, who noted, “Netflix has always wanted to beat Disney — now it has the chance to try and prove it can match the Mouse House’s franchise development.”

The phenomenon has extended beyond the screen. “Golden,” the lead single from the film’s fictional K-pop group HUNTR/X, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week — its second time atop the chart after first reaching the summit on Aug. 11. The track is performed by real-life artists Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami and EJAE.

KPop Demon Hunters follows HUNTR/X, a K-pop girl group that uses music to ward off evil spirits, and has been widely praised for weaving Korean cultural motifs into its fantastical narrative.

Sayart / Kang In sig insig6622@naver.com