'K-POP Demon Hunters' OST, Chart Rises in 4th Week... 'Best Since Encanto' Animation Soundtrack

The Netflix animation 'K-POP Demon Hunters' soundtrack continues its remarkable rise in its 4th week since release, presenting new possibilities for animation OSTs. Although it dropped from 2nd to 5th on the latest Billboard 200 chart, weekly sales actually increased by 14% to 85,000 copies.

Notably, this soundtrack is the only one to show sales increases in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th weeks since Billboard 200 began counting equivalent album units in 2014. This pattern is completely different from the typical album lifecycle, surprising industry experts.

The achievements in streaming are even more impressive. In the 4th week, it recorded 100.94 million streams, a 14% increase, which is the highest figure for a soundtrack since the 'Encanto' OST recorded 114.67 million streams while topping the chart for 7 consecutive weeks in March 2022.

Several factors contribute to this remarkable achievement. First, the continuous popularity on Netflix is highlighted. Since its simultaneous release in theaters and on Netflix on June 20, it has maintained 2nd place in Netflix's U.S. movie top 10 for four weeks.

Musically, it set a record with 7 songs entering the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously. Major tracks like the virtual group HUNTR/X's 'Golden' and the Lion Boys' 'Your Idol' are all charting high, competing with actual K-POP hits.

Particularly interesting is the growth pattern of this soundtrack. Generally, soundtracks tend to see a sharp decline after the first week, but 'K-POP Demon Hunters' is continuously attracting new listeners through word of mouth and social media dissemination.

An industry insider stated, 'The success of this soundtrack shows how powerful the synergy between K-POP and animation can be,' adding, 'It particularly illustrates how younger generations are consuming new content across genre boundaries.'

The production team is also expressing surprise at this achievement. Jim Lupo, CEO of Republic Records, mentioned, 'All three of my children are hooked on this work,' and noted, 'Even people who knew nothing about K-POP are listening to this soundtrack.'

Based on this success, the 'K-POP Demon Hunters' soundtrack is being mentioned as a contender for Best Original Song at next year's Academy Awards. Especially, 'Golden' is expected to be a major contender, and the possibility of an Oscar nomination for the Korean composer is also drawing attention.