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June 20 marks one year since the release of Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters.”

Since then, the animated film has spent 52 consecutive weeks on the streamer’s Top 10 chart, breaking records and making history along the way, including becoming Netflix’s most-watched movie and winning the Oscar and Grammy for Best Original Song for “Golden,” the first K-pop song to take home an Oscar. No one could have predicted its phenomenal success, which took the industry by storm and left fans clamoring for merchandise, more music, more stories, and everything related to “Demon Hunters.”

Even “Demon Hunters” co-director and creator Maggie Kang, who conceived the idea more than 10 years ago, never imagined the film would take off the way it did. Kang said Variety“When Chris [Appelhans] and I were doing this, we hoped it would connect with people, but seeing fans from all over the world, from Seoul to Brazil to Los Angeles, embrace these characters, create their own art and live in this world has been a dream.” He adds: “It’s not just a movie anymore; It has become a global community.”

Kang says, “It’s clear that the film went far beyond the screen. It now belongs to the fans who saw themselves in our demon hunters, and that connection is the greatest reward.”

Feeding the fandom has been key when it comes to what Netflix does behind the scenes, with the studio’s marketing and publicity team tuning in and listening. And if anyone knows about the fandom, it’s the company’s marketing director, Marian Lee.

“It’s easier to cultivate fandoms in this digital age than it was a long time ago, when it was like writing to join fan clubs, but it’s also difficult to stay focused on what fans want, because there’s a proliferation of so many,” Lee says.

A sequel is currently in the works and is in the early stages of development. But that hasn’t stopped fans from writing fan fiction or posting videos on YouTube. “My son, who’s a big fan, would come home from school and say, ‘I heard this, and Rumi has a twin, and he’d have these stories, and that’ll be in the second movie.’ I thought, man, ‘I haven’t even seen the script yet, so I promise I haven’t,’” he laughs.

When working with partners, Lee says there’s a simple mandate: “We take the general principle from all of our franchises, and that is: Does this make sense for the universe? Is this something that fans have asked for or would like?” But the thing doesn’t end there. Collaboration with the filmmakers is also important. “We asked, ‘How do you feel about this?’ and they’re great at adding stories and participating enough to say, ‘Okay, girls wouldn’t do this in real life.’ So how do we modify it to make it look authentic?

Collaborations span all sectors. In games, Fortnite added official skins for the characters. General Mills dropped cereal ties and Anua launched a co-branded K-beauty line. This weekend, TikTok Live is hosting a Global Watch Party. But Lee remembers it wasn’t always so easy.

“We were there years in advance, pitching this to partners to do it with us,” he says, and the team attended the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas and the Brand Licensing show in London last year. “We didn’t have a finished film and it was so difficult for them to imagine it that we couldn’t really generate enthusiasm among the partners.”

“No one would associate with us at that time,” he says. So the Netflix team decided to produce merchandise themselves, commissioning t-shirts, hoodies, and other merchandise — “fun stuff that we know fans like,” Lee says. “And then we put them on the Netflix store, it ended up being a blessing in disguise for us, because all the partners called us that first weekend and asked us: How can we get involved?”

Even Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks admitted on the Decoder podcast that he had missed an opportunity.

When the film and its music began to explode last summer, Lee says brands like Hasbro, Lego, Mattel and even McDonald’s “pulled all the creative efforts” and accelerated their development process to bring “Demon Hunters” products to market. “With the dolls, Mattel and Hasbro negotiated a toy co-production deal, something that had never been done in the history of any franchise, and really speaks to the strength of the franchise.”

The McDonald’s tie-in was built around the film’s central rivalry between two K-pop groups: demon-hunting girl group Huntr/X and their rivals, the Saja Boys. “There was a story there, we got custom animation and singing talent from both sides was involved,” Lee said. Of all the collaborations, this one meant a lot to Lee. The meals brought Korean food culture and traditions into the mainstream. Lee says, “Being Korean, and opening a breakfast sandwich and seeing the Korean writing on the wrapper, I took a photo of it, because, never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be in my Egg McMuffin, but also that I had a very small role in bringing that to life.” Lee added: “We try to take it down a very genuine path of what fans are looking for, even when we collaborate with partners.”

That particular partnership resonated with fans who were excited to collect the character cards. But it also resonated with the cast.

Audrey Nuna, Mira’s singing voice, who used to go to the fast food chain on her way to auditions, said: “It was a beautiful symbol of the true fusion of what the movie is.”

Similarly, for Arden Cho, Rumi’s singing voice, “Growing up in America feels like a totally American dream. Being a Happy Meal was cool, and something I never thought would be a bucket list thing.” Cho adds, “Why wouldn’t you choose Huntr/X? It was a lot of fun because we had to be very playful.”

There were many more associations. May Hong, the voice of Mira, says that “Shin Ramen was the craziest collaboration.” The most meaningful thing for her was seeing Huntr/X in the package. The instant noodle brand is, he says, “a household staple and a national treasure.”

The phenomenal success of the film has changed the lives of everyone involved with more collaborations to come and a live concert planned. An Immersive House will open later this year in Dallas and Philadelphia, where fans can step into the world of the film. Once again, photo and music sessions will be part of the experience. It’s what the fans want.

Looking back, Nuna reflected on how the film’s story developed over the past year and how it was received. “It’s a story that starts in the second grade classroom in Manalapan, New Jersey, and I don’t feel accepted and I don’t feel like I have a space to occupy. This movie really changed that for me, and I think as an artist, every time you heal, you have a lot to share about it, and that applies, more importantly, to this next generation, like understanding that this movie could preventatively heal and also prevent certain wounds for this next generation, and maybe for Rei, May, EJAE, Maggie, and everyone involved in the movie.” He continues, “This film makes me want to continue to be a part of that movement and have that impact and, in turn, make better, clearer music.”

What’s next for the singing and acting voices of Huntr/X?

EJAE, the singer and composer who performed at the FIFA World Cup said Variety at the Gold House Gold Gala that she is “writing an album. I’m going to continue writing for other films or other artists as well. So I’m very excited to collaborate.”

Cho is knee-deep in planning her destination wedding, which was put on hold while she promoted the film. She says, “We’re in post-production on ‘Perfect Girl’. I’ve had a bunch of music projects that I put on hold. I’m starting to figure out when I’m going to start releasing some of that stuff. It’s a very creative outlet.” He adds: “It’s a lot of original music that I wrote before the pandemic and during the pandemic. The songs are very different from anything I’ve released before: a little more pop.”

Ji-young Yoo, the voice of Zoey, says her next project is the movie “K-Pop Superstar.” The actress underwent extensive vocal training, which she found “surprisingly physically demanding.” The film, shot in South Korea, follows a young Korean-American girl who defies her family’s wishes to compete in a televised competition to find the next K-pop girl group. “I danced almost every day. Instead of trying to disappear into character like many of my previous roles, I embraced all the parts of me that were most like her,” she said. Variety.

Hong is working on an independent film that will be released soon. Currently, she can be seen on Hulu’s “Not Suitable for Work.” “It’s Mindy Kaling’s workplace comedy and it was so fun to do it in the middle of all this because we filmed in the fall when it was just starting out.”

Rei Ami shared on social media, “In honor of Ani-May, I’ve partnered with Crunchyroll to make my Attack on Titan fantasies come true.” And she continues to enjoy hearing what fans have to say. She says, “My favorite moments have been meeting the fans and hearing their stories about how the film has impacted their lives.”

And Nuna says she’s working on new music. With so many changes in the last year, Nuna says she chooses music to help process things in life because “it’s a space where I feel like I can really understand my life in a different way than most people. I’ve been reflecting and processing, and also preparing for this year’s summer festival, where I’m really excited to perform my own material.” She adds that she’s been writing and says, “It’s been very healing and very exciting to understand how I really feel about so many things that have happened.”

It’s a feat that will surely be remembered a decade from now, Lee says. “In 10 years, when you look back, the filmmakers created something so special that it resonated with fans, and everyone has a part in how this has come to life.”