Where the hell is my KPop Demon Hunters art book?
by Rollin Bishop
I'm a patient man. When KPop Demon Hunters launched on Netflix back in June, I immediately started figuring out how to buy a physical soundtrack only to discover that it wasn't actually out yet — in fact, it's still not out. The vinyl releases in October while the CD drops on August 8. But, somehow, that's not even the worst of it. At least those exist at all.
Where the hell is my KPop Demon Hunters art book? Nowhere, that's where.
And look, I'm not going to pretend that I understand all of the business wheelings and dealings necessary to get an art book for a Sony Pictures Animation movie that's released on Netflix, but somebody absolutely does and they've figured it out before. There's a Mitchells vs. the Machines art book! There's a Klaus art book! There's an Over the Moon art book! Netflix movies are fully capable of getting them. As it stands, as far as I'm aware, any potential KPop Demon Hunters art book isn't even a glimmer of an unintended Amazon product listing leak at this point.
Taken as a whole, it really just feels like someone, somewhere was not prepared for this movie to actually be successful. The delayed soundtrack release, the entire lack of an art book, and an initially barebones Netflix merch shop all seem to point to an early lack of interest in producing merchandise. It makes sense! I get it. Netflix is a graveyard as much as it is a concert hall.
And it does feel as if Netflix has learned a lesson if not a particularly useful one. After topping the charts for Netflix viewership in addition to absolutely rocking Billboard's music charts — "Golden" from the movie's fictional band HUNTR/X is currently at #2 in the Hot 100, up from #4 last week — there's now reports that Netflix is mulling about several sequels, a live-action remake, and even a stage musical. According to that same report, the streamer considers KPop Demon Hunters "as its 'Frozen' or Disney Princesses franchise," and intends to squeeze it for all it's worth.
Despite all of that sounding pretty good to me, someone that immediately ordered the soundtrack, it's also indicative of a consistent issue with Netflix. The company absolutely supports its most successful releases, there's no denying it, but it's also readily apparent that this only happens after the fact for the most part. You sink or you swim, and if you swim particularly well, that's when you get some marketing and merchandising budget. Again, I'm no business guru, but it's hard to imagine that's a smart solution to long-term growth.
For now, I'll settle for an art book announcement.
/out of frame
🤼 Rollin: SDCC and then Gen Con back to back has left me absolutely knackered, but I can confirm Tag Team rules.
🪐 Kambole: I recently watched Galaxy Express 999: The Movie, which might house the greatest score I’ve heard in a while. Meanwhile, CITY: The Animation released a spectacular fifth episode with a mind-boggling number of moving parts in each frame (the official account says 16,000 drawings in that one episode!) – more on that soon, hopefully.
🪖 Toussaint: Australian artist-animator “Clownsaint” pre-launched the Kickstarter for their animated pilot Ersatz last Friday. I’ve been eagerly anticipating the project since catching the teaser trailer for it back in May. Ersatz follows an amnesiac soldier who awakens to find themselves in a macabre universe of endless war. The campaign launches Sept. 1. Fans of Mad God, rejoice.