Tag: superhero movies

Films

KPop Demon Hunters: Netflix Hit Redefines Female Superheroes Through K-pop and Korean Mythology

Tanisha Cardozo

Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters isn’t just a film—it’s a genre-defying cultural explosion. Co-directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, this animated superhero movie has taken the platform by storm, becoming the second most popular English-language film on Netflix, while simultaneously earning critical acclaim and charting on Billboard.

The film follows Huntr/x, a fictional K-pop girl group who double as demon-fighting superheroes. Armed with magical musical powers and real-world sass, the girls take on ancient evil with a blend of pop performance and supernatural flair. Alongside them—or sometimes against them—are the Saja Boys, a rival male idol group with secrets and powers of their own.

What makes KPop Demon Hunters truly groundbreaking, however, is its unapologetically raw portrayal of its female leads. “They eat messily, they burp, they make weird faces,” says director Maggie Kang. “I wanted to break away from the polished, idealized female characters we usually see in animation.”

Kang took a hands-on, physical approach to directing. She often had her animation team act out scenes to capture authentic emotion, comedic timing, and real human gestures. When scenes didn’t quite land, Kang would step in and demonstrate the facial expressions herself—sometimes contorting her face to extreme degrees to convey a particular feeling.
“Even when you draw, you want to feel the expressions,” Kang told Q host Gill Deacon.

More than just a stylistic tour de force, KPop Demon Hunters roots itself in deep Korean heritage. The film’s opening sequence—depicting generations of Korean musicians fighting supernatural forces—draws heavily from Korean shamanism and folklore. Kang’s own upbringing between Toronto and summers in Seoul shaped the narrative, blending diasporic identity with mythological storytelling.

“When we grounded the mythology into Korean shamanism, it opened up this opportunity to feature different eras of Korea and show how Korean music evolved through the ages,” she explained.

The fictional group’s impact isn’t limited to the screen. Huntr/x’s track “Golden” hit No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Global 200, while the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack soared to No. 2 on the Billboard 200—making it the top-charting soundtrack of 2025.

“I didn’t think this kind of reaction was even possible,” Kang said. “It’s incredible.”

With voice performances from Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Lee Byung-hun, the film has a dynamic and diverse ensemble that brings the world of Huntr/x vividly to life.

Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, KPop Demon Hunters is proof that authentic cultural storytelling—blended with universal themes, bold creativity, and the magnetic rivalry between Huntr/x and the Saja Boys—can break every mold, entertain, and inspire.

Films

Box Office Shake-Up: ‘Fantastic Four’ Stumbles as ‘Freakier Friday’ and ‘Weapons’ Threaten the Throne

Tanisha Cardozo

The dog days of summer are proving to be unpredictable at the box office. Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, once expected to be a dominant theatrical force, is rapidly losing momentum. Now in its third weekend, the superhero reboot is expected to bring in just $18 to $20 million — a steep drop from earlier projections.

So far, the film has earned $200 million domestically and $370 million globally, and will soon surpass Thunderbolts ($382M) and Captain America: Brave New World ($415M). But despite being Marvel Studios’ highest-grossing release of 2025 to date, its performance falls short of being a true blockbuster comeback for the studio.

Challenging its position are two wildly different films: the nostalgic comedy sequel Freakier Friday and the spine-chilling horror film Weapons.

Freakier Friday
 Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis reprise their iconic roles in Freakier Friday, the sequel to the 2003 body-swap hit Freaky Friday. Directed by Nisha Ganatra (Late Night), the film ups the stakes with a chaotic four-way body swap involving Tess (Curtis), Anna (Lohan), Anna’s daughter, and her new step-daughter.

Produced on a modest $42 million budget, Freakier Friday looks to earn $10 to $12 million internationally during its opening and has already received glowing early reviews. Entertainment Weekly praised the film for “recapturing and strengthening the magic” of the original, crediting its heartfelt humor and ensemble cast, including Chad Michael Murray, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Manny Jacinto, and Julia Butters.

Weapons
 Zach Cregger, who broke out with the cult horror hit Barbarian, returns with another twisted tale. Weapons, backed by Warner Bros., is a chilling thriller with a $38 million budget. It stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, and Alden Ehrenreich and follows the mysterious disappearance of 17 schoolchildren in a small town — a premise that has already left critics shaken.

Variety’s Peter Debruge called it “a cruel and twisted bedtime story […] the kind where characters kill on command and audiences find it difficult to sleep afterward.”

Box Office Outlook
 Despite Fantastic Four’s strong early numbers, the shift in audience tastes post-pandemic is palpable. Viewers are increasingly drawn to either horror with a bite or light-hearted nostalgia, rather than traditional superhero fare. Disney’s calculated risk in betting on a comedy sequel and Warner Bros.’ focus on a smart horror film may pay off in surprising ways.

Comscore reports the box office is currently 9.5% ahead of 2024, but still 23% behind 2019’s pre-pandemic numbers. Summer revenues just crossed $3 billion, but whether the season can reach the $4 billion benchmark remains uncertain.

With the industry still seeking a reliable formula in the post-COVID world, Freakier Friday and Weapons might just be the unexpected sleeper hits the box office needs to round out summer 2025.

International

David Corenswet Soars into the Spotlight as the New Superman

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo

July 2025 — Hollywood, USA:
 The cape is back—and so is hope for the DC Universe. In the highly awaited reboot Superman (2025), David Corenswet makes a triumphant debut as the Man of Steel under the direction of James Gunn. The result? A film that doesn’t just fly—it soars, grounded by a focus on character and connection.

For Corenswet, the role is nothing short of surreal. “Even saying ‘I’m playing Superman’ sounds weird,” he admitted. But stepping onto the soundstage, cape fluttering behind him, something shifted. “That’s the feeling that pulls the whole thing together,” he said, describing how the flowing cape became a physical embodiment of the transformation into Clark Kent’s alter ego.

The film takes Superman back to his roots at the Daily Planet, balancing the superhero’s public duties with the quiet strength of Clark Kent’s moral compass. Along the way, he faces off with Lex Luthor, played with icy brilliance by Nicholas Hoult, while navigating the complexities of global politics and personal identity.

Off-screen, Corenswet built a strong rapport with director James Gunn, who auditioned around 400 actors before selecting him. Gunn praised Corenswet’s deep commitment to the character—though he joked that the actor occasionally asks one too many questions. “But because they make him better, they make the movie better,” Gunn clarified. “The beautiful thing about our dynamic is, when I say ‘David, stop talking for a second,’ he totally gets it. No ego—just focus.”

This new Superman has already struck a chord with audiences and critics alike. The film boasts an impressive 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews applauding its emotional depth, nuanced performances, and fresh storytelling.

More than just a reboot, Superman (2025) is a revival of everything fans love about the Man of Steel—hope, humanity, and a hero who knows the strength of kindness.

And at the heart of it all is David Corenswet, proving that the cape doesn’t just fit—it belongs.