Golden Globes 2026: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Wins Best Animated Motion Picture
“KPop Demon Hunters” took home the award for Best Animated Motion Picture at Sunday night’s Golden Globes, marking a significant moment for K-pop music and Korean culture on a major U.S. awards stage. Here is a look at the ground-breaking animated feature.
A Breakthrough for Korean Animation
The win by “KPop Demon Hunters” reflects the growing popularity of Korean culture and K-pop in the United States and internationally on streaming platforms like Netflix. Produced by Sony Animation, “KPop Demon Hunters” follows a fictional K‑pop trio who balance their public careers with a covert mission to combat supernatural threats. The film blends action, fantasy and contemporary music culture, with original K-pop songs incorporated throughout the story.
Sony developed the film using a fully-3D animation approach similar to the studio’s “Spider-Verse” animated films. The studio drew heavily from K‑pop stage design, using saturated lighting, neon accents and choreography‑inspired camera movement to shape the action sequences. It also blended in physical language and synchronized movements of real martial artists. The film used several musical set pieces that were animated using motion‑capture references from real dancers, giving the performances a grounded sense of rhythm. The visual style helped distinguish the film from other animated releases in 2025 and contributed to its popularity among fans of American animated films, Korean folk art, K-dramas, anime, and K-pop culture.
Multiple Golden Globes
In addition to Best Animated Motion Picture, “KPop Demon Hunters” won Best Original Song for “Golden,” performed by Eun‑Jae “EJAE” Park, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. The pop radio staple reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and topped the Billboard Global 200 for 10 weeks. It also spent 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and was certified double‑platinum. Park, Nuna and Ami provide the singing voices for Rumi, Mira and Zoey, the members of the fictional girl group HUNTR/X featured in the film. The film also received a Golden Globe nomination in the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category.
Cast and Creative Team
The “KPop Demon Hunters” cast was led by Arden Cho as Rumi, May Hong as Mira and Ji‑young Yoo as Zoey, with Ahn Hyo‑seop voicing Jinu and Lee Byung‑hun as the villain Gwi‑ma. The screenplay was written by Danya Jimenez (The Virgin Maggi), Hannah McMechan (Ladyhood, Brothers) , Maggie Kang (“The Lego Ninjago Movie”), and Chris Appelhans (“Wish Dragon”), with the story by Kang.
Box Office and Streaming Performance
“KPop Demon Hunters” earned more than $24 million at the global box office during its theatrical run, with most of its revenue coming from domestic audiences and a limited rollout in select international markets. After leaving theaters, the film debuted on Netflix, where it quickly became one of the platform’s most‑watched titles and has now surpassed 500 million streams worldwide.
A Budding Franchise?
The Golden Globe wins have only intensified fan interest in where “KPop Demon Hunters” could go next. Viewers have been vocal on social media about wanting a follow‑up, especially after the final act left several character arcs deliberately unresolved. MiryoWorks has acknowledged the enthusiasm and noted that the ending was structured with room for a sequel, though one has not been formally announced. For now, the studio appears aware of the demand, and the film’s momentum suggests the conversation around a second installment isn’t likely to fade anytime soon.
