Huntr/x from 'KPop Demon Hunters.' Photo courtesy of Netflix
MANILA — When the directors of “KPop Demon Hunters” set out to make the film, they focused on creating something they themselves “wanted to see” — a fusion of bold female characters, story-driven pop music, high fashion and concert-style spectacle — unsure of how it would ultimately resonate with audiences.
“We filled it with ingredients, things that we had wanted to see in animation that just hadn’t happened yet,” said Chris Appelhans, who co-directed the film with Maggie Kang, in a recent interview with ABS-CBN News.
“I’m not sure that you could ever totally predict who the audience for that will be. But we brought all that in and then we just tried to tell a story that felt honest to us and truthful,” he added, when asked about the film’s intended “core audiences.”
What Appelhans and Kang didn’t anticipate, however, was the overwhelming response as the Netflix feature soared into one of the year’s biggest hits.
Released on June 20, “KPop Demon Hunters” follows Huntr/x, a hitmaking K-pop trio whose members — Rumi (voiced by Arden Cho and EJAE), Mira (May Hong and Audrey Nuna), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo and Rei Ami) — use music to maintain a barrier protecting the world from demons.
“It’s been an amazing reaction,” Appelhans remarked. “But the nice thing about that is if you make the film that you want and you make it for yourself on some level, then it’s very affirming to find that other people appreciate that art, too.”
In early August, the film — which has also inspired a wave of fan art and song covers — debuted at No. 4 on Netflix’s list of most popular movies. By the end of the month, it had climbed to the top spot and, as of writing, has logged 325 million views.
READ: 'KPop Demon Hunters' craze hits theaters after topping Netflix, music charts
The soundtrack has also made waves, topping the Billboard 200 albums chart to become the year’s biggest soundtrack. “Golden” has also dominated the Hot 100, claiming the No. 1 spot for seven weeks.
The film’s Korean cultural elements were conceived by Korean-Canadian co-director Kang, Appelhans noted.
“She drew on her lived experience of being a K-pop fan, on her memories and childhood growing up in Korea, and I think, above all, kind of just the own sense of who she was as a Korean woman who’s cool and smart, but also silly and also angry and loves food. So it’s personal,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Netflix
At the heart of the visual and sonic spectacle is a story about the power of music and the fight against evil — themes Appelhans says resonate universally.
“As soon as she (Kang) told me her idea, I was like ‘I think this can be a story about the power of music.’ You’re trying to explain how music and demon fighting go together,” Appelhans recounted.
“That sort of shared belief of the power of music and how we could make that a superpower, that led to the hunters and the Honmoon and all this mythology... it’s very specific and it’s very universal and that’s always good,” he said.
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While a sequel has yet to be officially confirmed, the director said there are many aspects of the “KPop Demon Hunters” universe they are open to exploring.
“There’s a lot of thoughts and stories about who these characters are and where they came from and how the world works that don’t fit into your 85-minute feature film,” Appelhans said. “So there’s a lot of stuff in our head and it would be really fun to do some more chapters.”