The success of the Netflix animation “KPOP DEMON HUNTERS”, which follows the adventures of demon hunters in a K-pop girl group, has sparked ongoing excitement around its original soundtrack.
On July 6 (local time), the American magazine Billboard announced in a chart forecast article that the “KPOP DEMON HUNTERS” original soundtrack album climbed five spots to reach number 3 on the main album chart, the Billboard 200. Billboard stated, “This album is the highest-charting soundtrack of the year and the highest-charting animated soundtrack since Encanto, which spent nine weeks at number one in 2022.”
The album features tracks like “Take down” and “Golden” by the fictional popular K-pop girl group in the series, HUNTR/X, as well as “Soda pop” by the rival boy group, SAJA BOYS. A version of “Take down” performed by TWICE’s Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung is also included.
The Billboard 200 ranks albums based on overall consumption, combining physical sales, streaming equivalent albums (SEA), and track equivalent albums (TEA).
The “KPOP DEMON HUNTERS” soundtrack recorded the equivalent of 62,000 album units sold during the tracking period, marking a 97% increase compared to the previous week — an exceptional feat for a K-pop album, which usually sells most copies in its first week. The breakdown includes 56,000 streaming equivalent albums (SEA), 4,500 physical sales, and 1,500 track equivalent albums (TEA). The soundtrack’s popularity also propelled it from number 10 to number 2 on the Top Streaming Albums chart. Physical sales saw a 31% increase as well.
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: Bilbboard, Netflix SNS
