Kids’ movies are usually torture — so why are parents obsessed with ‘KPop Demon Hunters’?

For years, there’s been an unspoken truce in many households: parents quietly endure endless loops of animated movies in exchange for a few minutes of peace, their only solace the hope that their child’s next obsession won’t be too brutal. But every so often, a new title comes along and flips the script. Suddenly, it’s not just the kids begging for “one more time” — it’s the parents humming the theme song in the kitchen, quoting their favorite lines and maybe even admitting they don’t actually mind watching it again. Enter: KPop Demon Hunters, the rare family film that has everyone in the house asking for an encore.

When my 6-year-old daughter asked me about KPop Demon Hunters, I braced for impact. I completely judged it by the title, saying no for about a week because ‘demon’ was in the name. Then word of mouth through my group of mom friends reached me.

“It’s not inappropriate. Just tell her she can’t say ‘sucks’ or ‘stupid.’ And honestly… I kind of liked it,” one of them said.

As a veteran of the Frozen years and more Tangled than I care to admit, I expected another harmless, if slightly maddening movie due to the volume of replays, in addition to the background noise of parenting. What I didn’t expect was to find myself fully invested — tapping my feet to the soundtrack, looking up TikTok’s about how to re-create Rumi’s hairstyle and, yes, suggesting we watch “just one more” time on a Sunday. And I’m not alone.

Talk to parents right now, and you’ll hear a familiar refrain: this one’s different.

So what is it about KPop Demon Hunters that makes it a repeat watch parents aren’t mad about? Here’s why families everywhere are hitting play, again and again.

It’s fun for all ages

Let’s be honest: a lot of so-called “family” movies are really just kids’ movies that parents tolerate. They’re either so juvenile that grown-ups check out, or they’re hiding in another room entirely. So far, KPop Demon Hunters feels universal, blending fast-paced action, clever humor and a surprising amount of heart. There’s a reason it just became Netflix’s most-watched film ever.

The setup is bonkers on paper: A beloved K-pop trio called Huntr/x secretly moonlights as demon hunters, using their musical talents (and some serious martial arts skills) to battle supernatural forces threatening the world. But it’s entertaining enough to bring entire families together on movie night.

“This is the movie of the summer in our house and one of the few that both us parents and kids love equally,” Natalie, 41, from New Albany, Indiana, tells Yahoo. She and her husband share a 6-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. “No one is arguing because we all want to watch it again. Half the fun is singing and dancing along in front of the basement TV.”

Even the action sequences, so often an afterthought in animated films, are fun. The battles are choreographed with a flair that nods to both classic kung fu flicks and K-pop dance routines, making for a visual spectacle that keeps even the most screen-weary parents engaged.

Then there’s the music.

Soundtrack of the summer

Face it, the only track in contention for song of the summer is “Golden.” There’s catchy, and then there’s KPop Demon Hunters catchy. Unlike the tune that haunts most parents’ nightmares of my era (looking at you, “Baby Shark”), the songs in this movie are actually good. Really good.

“This movie somehow cracked the code: my kids are glued to the screen, I’m actually entertained and our car rides have turned into full-on K-pop karaoke sessions,” Megan from Seattle, Wash., tells Yahoo. She’s usually driving around with her 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. “I didn’t see that one coming, but it has become the music we needed on our summer repeat playlist. My daughter asks to ‘Turn it up full blast!'”

Even when I talked to Vanilla Ice this week, who was promoting the new AppleTV+ reality competition series Kpopped, he said this movie, and especially the soundtrack, is inescapable in his house with his 7-year-old daughter.

“The soundtrack is what I have to play in the car everywhere. All of it,” he says. “From start to finish.”

Written and performed by real K-pop idols, the songs are a genre-hopping blend of infectious pop, hip-hop and soaring ballads that are just as likely to end up on a parent’s Spotify playlist as their kid’s. Aside from Huntr/x, the film also features the competing male boy band the Saja Boys.

“The soundtrack is on repeat in the car… even when the kids aren’t around!” Natalie admits.

It’s not just the tunes, it’s the way the movie leans into the global phenomenon of K-pop itself. The choreography is spot-on, the costumes are dazzling and the depiction of idol culture — fans, backstage drama, group dynamics, the stars never getting a break — is authentic. For many families, like mine, it’s been a gateway into a world they’d never explored.

“My son got curious about the real groups behind the voices,” Olivia from Chicago, mom to a 10-year-old boy, tells Yahoo. “I love that it’s sparked something new for him, and we’re learning together more about the K-pop genre.”

Why it works—and why some parents are grateful

Maybe the secret to KPop Demon Hunters’ success isn’t just the music or the action—it’s that it offers families a rare kind of connection. It’s not just noise in the background; it becomes something you share, talk about and even learn from together.

Take Marissa, a mom from Manhattan Beach, Calif.

“To be honest, at first I was very much in the ‘what the f***is this movie’ camp?” she tells Yahoo. “My kids started watching it when I was recovering from a surgery and laid up in bed for two weeks. My husband was taking care of everything, so I wasn’t going to be all, ‘What are they watching?’ When I emerged from my bedroom, they knew every word to every song in this movie. I sat down and watched it with them to see what all the fuss was about, and I didn’t get it at first, except that I loved seeing my kids love it.”

Marissa’s relationship with screen time is different than most. As a TV writer, she’s always believed that film and television are powerful ways for kids to connect culturally with their peers — a kind of art that invites everyone in. And with KPop Demon Hunters, she noticed it was quickly becoming a cultural touchstone in her own home. Still, she wondered if her kids were getting something deeper from all those repeat watches. So she asked her 7-year-old daughter what she thought the message of the movie was.

Her daughter’s answer made her proud: “That it’s OK to be unique and you don’t have to hide the parts of yourself other people tell you are bad.

“Aside from the fact that the soundtrack has become the sound of our summer, that has also become the message of our summer,” Marissa says. “And I can’t be mad at that being on my TV on repeat.”

In a world full of things parents have to tolerate, KPop Demon Hunters stands out as something the whole family can celebrate. It’s a reminder that sometimes, what starts as screen time can become something a lot more meaningful — a new soundtrack, a new dance move, and maybe, a new message for the season.

Looking for more recs? Find your next watch on the Yahoo 100, our daily updating list of the most popular movies of the year.