Netflix’s movie KPop Demon Hunters has secured the Producers Guild of America Award, adding to its Golden Globes and Grammy wins.
At the 37th Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards, held on February 28 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, Michelle Wong, producer of KPop Demon Hunters, clinched the Outstanding Producer Award in the Animated Theatrical Motion Picture category.
KPop Demon Hunters beat out stiff competition, including Disney’s Elio, Zootopia 2, DreamWorks’ Bad Guys 2, and the Japanese hit Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle.
The prestigious Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures was presented to Adam Somner for One Battle After Another.
The PGA Awards are widely regarded as a reliable Oscar predictor, given their historical alignment with Academy Award winners.
This success has sparked anticipation for KPop Demon Hunters’s potential triumph at the 98th Academy Awards, scheduled for March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The film is vying for Best Animated Feature, while its standout track “Golden,” performed by the fictional K-pop group Huntress, is in the running for Best Original Song.
Premiering last June, KPop Demon Hunters is a high-octane action fantasy animation that follows K-pop icons Rumi, Mira, and Zoey as they balance their stardom with secret heroics. The English dub features the talents of Korean stars Ahn Hyo Seop and Lee Byung Hun. Despite not being directly funded by Korean investors, the film has garnered widespread acclaim for its celebration of K-pop’s global influence.
The movie’s popularity skyrocketed, amassing 325 million views within three months and claiming the top spot as Netflix’s most-watched title ever. “Golden” dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks. The film’s accolades include Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, often considered a bellwether for Oscar success.
“Golden” also earned a nod for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 68th Grammy Awards, a category that recognizes exceptional compositions across film, television (TV), and animation.
This Grammy nomination marks a historic moment for K-pop, with Korean producers and songwriters IDO (Lee Yoo-han, Kwak Joong-kyu, Nam Hee-dong) and 24 (Seo Jeong-hoon) becoming the first from their country to receive such recognition. The award is shared with Korean-American co-writer Ejae, Teddy, and American composer Mark Sonnenblick, highlighting the global collaboration behind the hit song.