PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — They chanted his name.
“Isaac!” “Isaac!” “Isaac!”
At first, the 11-year old from Blue Bell held off the pressure.
But eventually, as the cheering got louder and louder, he folded, giving the dozens of kids in the Antioch Church of Philadelphia’s first-floor cafeteria exactly what they wanted.
A performance of the “Soda Pop” dance from the breakout Netflix film "KPop Demon Hunters."
Again.
With the help of his friend, Gavin, a 12-year old from Hatboro, Isaac delighted his fellow summer academy campers.
Singing songs like “Soda Pop” and reenacting scenes from "KPop Demon Hunters" has become a lunchtime ritual for the Korean-American kindergarten to sixth-graders attending the Antioch summer academy.
“Oh, my word,” said Stephanie Yoo, an Antioch teacher’s assistant. “I feel like every day there's not a period that goes by where I don't hear 'KPop Demon Hunters.'”
Ryan is one of the Antioch campers caught up in the craze.
“All my friends [thought] it's, like, really cringe,” the 10-year old said, “but I've watched it six or seven times.”
The songs and characters clicked for him.
“I really liked it.”
For the uninitiated, "KPop Demon Hunters" is set in Korea, and follows the adventures of three ramen-slurping, fast-talking Gen Z Korean songstresses — Rumi, Mira, and Zoey — whose group, HUNTR/X, is the most popular K-pop act on the planet.
But that’s not all the women do.
HUNTR/X is actually a cover for the trio’s main calling:
Protecting the world from soul-sucking demons.
So yes, in a very literal way, the movie’s title tells you exactly what you’re signing up for.
But there’s way more appeal to "KPop Demon Hunters" than a scroll-stopping name that checks all the SEO boxes.
The animation is complex and vibrant, created by Sony Pictures Imageworks, the Academy Award-winning studio responsible for the acclaimed "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse films."
The soundtrack is worthy of its viral popularity, delivering one earworming bop after another.
And then there’s the story, a fun, fast-moving ride that taps into Korean cultural inspiration to put fresh twists on familiar narrative arcs, like good vs. evil, finding romance in unexpected places, and being comfortable in your own skin.
The ingredients have yielded a product that’s shattered expectations and records. Since its June 20 release, "KPop Demon Hunters" has surged to the top of Netflix’s original animated films chart, and could have a shot at becoming the platform’s most-streamed movie of all time.
Its biggest single, “Golden,” has been streamed hundreds of millions of times worldwide, and just this past week reached no. 1 on the Billboard Top 100. The song also ranks first on Spotify and Apple Music.
The numbers bear it out: "KPop Demon Hunters" is having a transcendent effect.
“It's really cool there's a movie about Korean people and Korean culture,” said Faith, a 10-year old Antioch summer academy camper from Upper Dublin.
She said she’s seen "KPop Demon Hunters" multiple times.
“So many people are interested in it. Even people who are not Korean, they love it.”
Antioch's summer students may be young, but the significance of "KPop Demon Hunters’" success isn’t lost on them.
They understand the movie’s true power lies in representation.
“I think it's really cool how Korea is such, like, a small place compared to other places and the fact that it’s becoming so popular is really cool,” 10-year old Chloe said.
“For Americans who have never heard of Korean culture, Korean food, or other Korean stuff, watching "KPop Demon Hunters" might make them more into Korea,” said Elizabeth, a 10-year-old camper from Montgomeryville. “That makes me really happy, since Americans will get to know more Korean culture.”
"KPop Demon Hunters" is currently only available to stream on Netflix, but later this month, it’s set for big-screen treatment. Select theaters will host a two-night sing-along engagement. Tickets went on sale Aug. 13.