BUSAN: The K-pop fantasy megahit “KPop Demon Hunters”, Netflix’s most-watched film, held its first singalong screening on Saturday in South Korea, from where the US-produced feature draws its inspiration.
“I’m seeing all the beauty in the broken glass,“ fans sang at the climax of the animated film, which follows a K-pop girl group descended from demon slayers.
Children dressed as band member Rumi, who struggles to conceal her secret dual identity as the group faces off against a rival demon boyband, and other characters.
Light sticks swayed in the air and the sold-out crowd erupted in cheers during a special screening of the film, co-written and directed by Korean-Canadian Maggie Kang, at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).
Fans sang along to hits like “Golden” and screamed when their favourite characters lit up the screen.
Jung Ha-sun, 41, said he battled “fierce competition” for tickets so his nine-year-old daughter, Soo-hyun, could see the film on the big screen after countless home viewings.
Numbers from the movie’s soundtrack have already dominated Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart, while thousands of cosplaying fans have packed sold-out singalong screenings in theatres across the United States and Canada.
The film has won over audiences in South Korea by weaving elements of traditional Korean demon lore with a thumping K-pop soundtrack and fan culture.
It also includes dazzling shots of Seoul landmarks and affectionate nods to Korean staples such as ramyeon noodles.
Real-life K-pop stars have posted covers of the soundtrack on YouTube, ramyeon stocks have surged, and a major theme park is preparing an immersive zone dedicated to the film.
“Watching it here doesn’t compare to seeing it on your phone,“ Moon Yoon-young, 36, told AFP.
“The theatre sound makes all the difference — hearing these amazing songs on the big screen was pure joy.”
BIFF’s programme director Karen Park said no one expected a US-made animated film “blending every cliche of the K-pop industry with the occult” to become such a sensation.
Fans line up
The film has also sent crowds flocking to Seoul’s National Museum of Korea, where artefacts similar to those featured in the movie are on display.
Visitor numbers in July surged more than 70 percent from a year earlier, with fans lining up before opening hours to buy merchandise modelled after the film’s folklore-inspired animal characters.
Children were spotted on Saturday in Rumi’s hairstyle and the gat, a traditional Korean hat worn by the film’s demon boyband.
Kang said it was important to portray Korean culture as faithfully as possible, noting that the project involved extensive research.
The characters also draw on her own experience growing up as a Korean immigrant overseas, “feeling like you are not good enough”.
The film blends K-pop tropes with Pixar, anime and Western teen TV, creating “not K-pop so much as K-pop globalised”, Brian Hu, a film professor at San Diego State University, told AFP.
Singalongs added a concert-like thrill and a sense of community for fans, he said, “even if it doesn’t immediately mean that these audiences will be flocking to watch more regular films”. - AFP
