The 31st Critics Choice Awards took place on Sunday (local time) in Santa Monica, California. It is a major and prestigious awards ceremony in the fields of film and television. The results were announced by the Critics Choice Association, an organization representing approximately 600 film and television critics and journalists across North αмєяι¢α.

The Critics Choice Awards are often regarded as a “barometer” (predictor) for the Oscars and the Emmys, as they are held ahead of major award ceremonies and carry significant professional weight.

This year, KPop Demon Hunters, Netflix’s нιт animated film that tells the story of a fictional K-pop girl group called Huntr/x, who use their music to battle evil forces and save the world, made a strong impression at the event. The film won two major awards — Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for its soundtrack track “Golden.”

The film triumphed over several heavyweight contenders from major studios, including Disney’s Zootopia 2, Pixar’s Elio, as well as In Your Dreams and Arco. This achievement has further raised expectations that both the film and its main OST will continue their successful momentum as the Academy Awards approach, scheduled to take place in March.

Following the remarkable success of KPop Demon Hunters at this year’s Critics Choice Awards, director Maggie Kang and the film’s main cast — particularly Ejae and Arden Cho, who voice the lead characters — drew significant attention. Notably, an interview with the cast at the awards ceremony quickly went viral within fan communities after Arden Cho mentioned BTS.

Specifically, when the actresses were asked which artists HUNTR/X would like to collaborate with if the group existed in real life, Arden Cho immediately named BTS, despite the host suggesting Taylor Swift or Beyoncé. Laughing, she explained that BTS automatically came to mind because the group is preparing for a comeback, but she ultimately admitted honestly, “But also because I’m a fan.” Her fellow cast members nodded in agreement, expressing similar sentiments.

Right after Arden Cho’s statement, the host excitedly exclaimed, “Oh, I love this” - and of course, we absolutely love this idea as well. E! News commented that “A (HUNTR/X) and BTS collab would be golden” when posting the interview clip on its account with nearly 11 million followers. The video quickly caused a buzz across social media and garnered widespread enthusiasm from fans around the world.

Fans responded with excited comments such as: "Yes!!!! ARMYs definitely want this collab", "Love to see it bts cameo in Kpop demon hunters 2", "How cute she's also excited about the Mar 20th comback", "So cute! Can't wait for bts comeback and I hope they'll have a chance to meet", "That would be cool omg", ...

Interestingly, BTS and KPop Demon Hunters share several meaningful connections. Not only did Arden Cho choose BTS as the artist HUNTR/X would collaborate with in real life, but Ejae — who voices Rumi — had previously named Jungkook when asked by JTBC which artist she would most like to collaborate with or produce music with in the future.

At the time, she openly expressed her admiration, saying: “He sings so well. I want to write a good melody for him. It would be an honor to collaborate with him. Being a good singer is important, but lyrical delivery is the most important when you sing and he’s good at it too. The way he’s able to pull off melo∂ιєs and emote with his voice.”

Members of BTS, such as RM and Jungkook, are also known to be avid viewers of Netflix’s нιт summer animated film. Both have been seen humming tunes like “Soda Pop” and “Golden” during live broadcasts. Jungkook even liked the film so much that he shared with fans that he cried while watching the scene: “When they were doing with the Saja Boys and when she (Rumi) said that she was going to make a Honmoon by herself and ran into the stadium”.

Now, with the mutual admiration between BTS members and the cast of KPop Demon Hunters, fans are genuinely hoping for a potential collaboration in the future — Huntr/x x BTS. Should that day ever come, fans believe the collaboration would explode like “Dynamite” and spread sweetness and refreshment just like “Soda (Pop).”