KPop Demon Hunters was about as much of a success as a streaming title has and could ever be. Despite not debuting in theaters, the animated epic achieved world domination last summer on Netflix, passing the next most-viewed film of all time on the platform, Red Notice, by over 100 million views as its soundtrack took over the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Its fictional demon-hunting girl group, HUNTR/X, quickly became one of the most successful K-pop acts to ever grace the airwaves, too, with the film’s soundtrack going double platinum and its breakout hit, “Golden,” winning both a Grammy and an Academy Award. Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhan‘s megahit capped off its record-shattering run with a Best Animated Feature win at the Oscars, for good measure.
At this point, there isn’t much left for Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) to accomplish. On top of the success of the film itself, an entire merchandising juggernaut has formed around KPop Demon Hunters, from apparel and accessories to Lego sets, card games, an entire Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook for players of all ages, and, of course, cosmetic skins within the mega-popular video game Fortnite. All that’s left is to wait for the sequel to arrive, but that isn’t expected until 2029 as the team develops the next chapter of the girls’ story. For those looking to revisit the action-packed musical adventure, though, Criterion has a new release honoring the achievements of the Korean culture-inspired instant classic.
It was recently announced that KPop Demon Hunters is joining the Criterion Collection on November 3 as part of the month’s wave of new releases. Criterion has long served as a go-to boutique for cinematic physical media, helping to preserve culturally relevant contemporary hits, acclaimed classics, and hidden gems alike with specialty 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD releases. As such, the Sony Pictures Animation film is getting a fresh digital master approved by the directors themselves, alongside a new full-length animatic complete with an introduction by Kang and Appelhans, a new making-of documentary, and more. Additionally, each physical version comes packed with new cover art featuring HUNTR/X and Derpy Tiger leaping into action, as well as a new set of collectible postcards with art by members of the team who worked on the film.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Is Only One of Several Netflix Movies to Join Criterion
Criterion’s cover for KPop Demon Hunters featuring Rumi, Mira, Zoey, and Derpy Tiger leaping into actionImage via Criterion
Not many Netflix films have been added to the Criterion Collection to this point. The ones featured among their selections tend to be acclaimed cinematic achievements or pivotal releases in the streamer’s history. Among them is Cary Joji Fukunaga‘s Beasts of No Nation, which was the platform’s first full foray into cinema, as well as other critical darlings from big-name auteurs like Noah Baumbach‘s Marriage Story, Guillermo del Toro‘s Frankenstein and Pinocchio, and Jane Campion‘s Power of the Dog. To be added to the list of available titles is yet another badge of honor among many for KPop, further cementing it as a landmark animated feature.
KPop Demon Hunters is available to pre-order in a 4K+Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD set from Criterion now ahead of its release into the Criterion Collection on November 3. Check out the new cover above.
