'Demon Hunters' dethrones 'Squid Game' as most-watched title on Netflix

Netflix announced Wednesday that its global sensation "KPop Demon Hunters" has surpassed the platform's popular original series "Squid Game" to become the most-watched title in the streamer's history. The US animated film has amassed 266 million views, becoming the most-watched content on Netflix across both film and television categories. "KPop Demon Hunters," an action-adventure centered on a fictional K-pop group called Huntr/x, overtook both the first season of South Korea's global phenomeno

Sept. 3, 2025

Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice' draws rave reviews as Venice competition heats up

Five days into the 82nd Venice Film Festival, the Lido is buzzing with one question that has Korean film fans on edge: Can Park Chan-wook's comedy-thriller "No Other Choice" break a 13-year drought and bring home the Golden Lion? The festival kicked off Wednesday with Italian auteur Paolo Sorrentino's meditative presidential drama "La Grazia," setting a high bar for the 21 films vying for top honors through Sept. 6. Nine competition entries would have screened by Monday morning KST, and if early

Aug. 31, 2025

'Golden' from 'KPop Demon Hunters' OST tops British Official chart for 4th week

"Golden," the smash hit single from the original soundtrack of the Netflix animation film "Kpop Demon Hunters," has topped the British Official Singles Chart Top 100 for a fourth week. According to the chart unveiled Friday (local time), "Golden" claimed the top spot for the third consecutive week. It first reached No. 1 on the chart on Aug. 1. The song by the film's fictional girl group Huntr/x was sung by Ejae, a composer who trained at SM Entertainment; Korean American singer Audrey Nuna; and

Aug. 30, 2025

'KPop Demon Hunters' becomes Netflix's most-watched movie of all time

It's official: The demon-hunting K-pop idols have conquered Netflix. "KPop Demon Hunters" has become the streaming platform's most-watched film of all time as of Wednesday, according to Netflix's internal viewership data. The animated hit has amassed 236 million views since its June 20 debut, surpassing the 230.9 million logged by "Red Notice," the Dwayne Johnson-Ryan Reynolds-Gal Gadot action spectacle that sat at the top for more than three years. The Sony Pictures Animation production pulled

Aug. 27, 2025

Why is 'Demon Slayer' so popular in Korea?

“Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” is poised to become Korea’s biggest box office hit of the year, with the franchise posting some of its strongest global numbers in the market despite colonial-era controversies — momentum experts link to Japan-Korea animation ties and the series’ themes that strike a deep chord with Korean audiences. According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated box office system, the film crossed 2 million admissions on Tuesday, just five days after its release. That makes it

Aug. 27, 2025

Busan International Film Festival unveils competitive future at Seoul press event

The Busan International Film Festival on Tuesday laid out plans for its historic transformation, detailing its shift to a competitive format after 29 years as a noncompetitive event. The festival's inaugural competition section will feature 14 Asian films vying for five awards, including best film, best director and special jury prize. Ten of the selections are world premieres, with five coming from debut directors and six from women filmmakers. Among the competition titles, Chinese director Bi

Aug. 26, 2025

Cannes-winning 'It Was Just an Accident' to open Oct. 1 in Korea in world premiere

Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or winner "It Was Just an Accident" will hit Korean theaters Oct. 1, the earliest theatrical release worldwide alongside France. The film, which claimed top honors at this year's 78th Cannes Film Festival in May, follows a group of former political prisoners who kidnap a man they believe tortured them during an interrogation. It is scheduled for North American release Oct. 15 via distributor Neon. Local distributor Green Narae Media locked in the rights duri

Aug. 26, 2025

Netflix banks on '90s nostalgia with 'Love Untangled'

With seven Korean features in its 2025 pipeline, Netflix is betting big on local content as multiplexes continue to hemorrhage audiences. This time, the platform mines Generation X nostalgia with a high school romance. At Monday's production briefing for "Love Untangled" at a hotel in Mapo-gu, Seoul, the streaming giant showcased its latest crowd-pleaser — a teen rom-com set in 1998 that marks an intriguing pivot for both the platform and the filmmaker. The film follows 19-year-old Park Se-ri (S

Aug. 25, 2025

'Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle' breaks records in Korea despite persisting controversy

Following the monumental success of its predecessor, “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train" — the fifth-highest-grossing Japanese animation film in South Korea and the worldwide box office leader of 2020 — the franchise's new film “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" is staking its claim as the country's biggest cinematic hit. As of Saturday, one day after its theatrical release, “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" has racked up 6.5 billion won in ticket sales, topping the box office and dramatically outpacing 2025

Aug. 24, 2025

'Golden' from 'Kpop Demon Hunters' OST tops British Official chart for 2nd week

"Golden," the smash hit single from the original soundtrack of the Netflix animation film "Kpop Demon Hunters," has topped the British Official Singles Chart Top 100 for the second consecutive week. According to the chart unveiled Friday (local time), "Golden" claimed the top spot, beating "No Broke Boys" by Disco Lines Korean American singer Audrey Nuna; and South Korean-born US artist Rei Ami. The track is the first K-pop song to reach No. 1 in 13 years since Psy topped the chart with "Gangnam

Aug. 23, 2025

'KPop Demon Hunters' director Maggie Kang comes full circle

The numbers are already the stuff of legends. Over 210 million views worldwide. Eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Golden" currently the most-streamed track in the US. Netflix's second-biggest original film ever, and still climbing. Maggie Kang, sitting in a packed screening room in Seoul's Yongsan CGV on Friday, looked genuinely stunned by it all. "I can't believe it," she said in Korean, momentarily at a loss for words. "We never imagined this kind of love." Seven years ago, Kang pitc

Aug. 22, 2025

Yeon Sang-ho goes lo-fi With 'The Ugly'

Lately, director Yeon Sang-ho has been building his reputation on spectacle -- zombies tearing through train cars, supernatural messengers delivering divine death sentences -- via Netflix's formidable checkbook. So there's something deliciously offbeat about his latest move: A $150,000 thriller shot guerrilla-style where one actor plays dual roles and his co-star acts entirely without showing her face. At Friday's production briefing at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University, Yeon seemed almost gleeful

Aug. 22, 2025

Korean soccer player cast as lead in Spanish film

Yang Jae-woo has been cast as the male lead in the upcoming Spanish film "Sigue Mi Voz (Follow My Voice)," marking the first time a Korean actor has taken a leading role in a Spanish feature film, industry officials confirmed Wednesday. Yang, 24, a soccer player and actor, will play Kang, a radio host and singer, in the romance film scheduled for release on Sept. 12. The film is based on Venezuelan writer Ariana Godoy's web novel, which has garnered 36.8 million views on Wattpad, a platform owne

Aug. 20, 2025

DMZ Docs to bookend festival with expose on Putin's Russia, Orwell documentary

Sundance Film Festival winner "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin will raise the curtain on the 17th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs), taking place Sept. 11-17. "We've prepared this festival with a resolve to take one more step forward and confront the issues of violence and hatred that global society has yet to overcome," festival director Chang Hae-rang said at a press conference held in CGV Cinelibrary in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Tuesday. Held un

Aug. 20, 2025

Park Chan-wook's 'Killing Game'

In a packed screening room at CGV Yongsan on Tuesday, Park Chan-wook and his cast appeared bemused by the turnout. Nearly 300 reporters had gathered for Park's first Korean feature in three years — a project that, he revealed, had been percolating since he first encountered Donald Westlake's 1997 novel "The Ax" two decades ago. "The day has finally come," Park said, with the particular mixture of formality and wit that characterizes his public appearances. The film, retitled "No Other Choice," w

Aug. 19, 2025