Canadian co-director Maggie Kang shares what helped make KPop Demon Hunters Netflix’s most-watched film

KPop Demon Hunters co-director Maggie Kang discusses the surprising reception to the film and what inspired her to bring it to the big screen.

With its mix of music, animation and story, KPop Demon Hunters is a global hit.

Though, for Canadian creator and co-director Maggie Kang, the reception has come as a surprise.

“We’re still shy to take it all in,” she told CTV News Channel on Thursday.

“It’s been an incredible ride the last few months, seeing the whole world just really accept this film and love it.”

KPop Demon Hunters premiered on Netflix on June 20. With 266 million views as of early September, it is Netflix’s most watched film of all time.

“We have a lot of universal themes in the movie,” Kang said. “The characters are very relatable and I think it’s also really refreshing to see female characters be silly, but also really, really cool and kick butt at the same time.”

The film follows a group of K-pop performers who secretly fight demons to protect their fans.

“I really wanted to see a movie that celebrated Korean culture through the lens of animation” she said. “I just naturally landed on mythology and demonology and I just thought visually it would be something really interesting to see and unique that we haven’t seen before.”

Music was another part of the film’s notable success.

A special sing-along version of the film was released in theatres and online this August, shooting to the top of North America’s weekend box office with an estimated US$18-20 million debut.

Songs from the film including “Golden,” “Your Idol,” “Soda Pop” and “How It’s Done” have made Billboard history by making its soundtrack the first to claim four simultaneous top 10 Hot 100 hits.

Despite its massive appeal to audiences, Kang says the idea of integrating K-pop, a musical genre originating in South Korea, came last.

“It felt like the idea needed something else,” Kang said. “K-pop is another Korean thing, and it really brought scale and spectacle and fashion into the concept and also made it a musical.”

A South-Korean born Torontonian and Sherdian College alum, Kang was head of story for The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017). She was also a story artist for animated films such as Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016), Rise of the Guardians (2012) and Puss in Boots (2011).

Although Kang says she can’t officially confirm a sequel after KPop Demon Hunters topped streaming, box office and Billboard charts, she says she is excited to dive into the world once again and explore different stories.

“I think it’s safe to say we can kind of keep our hopes up for more,” she said.