The KPop Demon Hunters Stan War Comes To McDonald’s

Apologies to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, but your McDonald’s collaboration is getting immediately overshadowed by a new KPop Demon Hunters one starting next week on March 31. 

The crossover riffs on the animated musical’s story of two warring pop bands, the girl group Huntr/x and the boy band Saja Boys, by featuring two adult meals, one based on each group. The crossover also includes photo cards and “first-access content.” The meals are variations on your typical McDonald’s food, but with flavors from McDonald’s South Korea restaurants.

The Saja Boys have a breakfast meal, while the Huntr/x one is available the rest of the day. Here’s the rundown:

For the Pride: The Saja Boys Breakfast Meal

• Spicy Saja McMuffin: A Sausage McMuffin with Egg, topped with a peppery Spicy Saja Sauce — inspired by the fire of Gwi-Ma. 
• Hash Browns: Our signature hash browns, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside — just like the Saja Boys’ leader Jinu. 
• Small Soft Drink: Your choice of a little “Soda Pop” to cool down from the heat.

For the Hunters: The HUNTR/X Meal

• 10-pc. Chicken McNuggets and medium soft drink
• Ramyeon McShaker Fries: A spicy, umami spin on our World Famous Fries featuring a soy, garlic, sesame and spice seasoning — inspired by Rumi, Mira and Zoey’s go-to snack. Sprinkle the seasoning into the McShaker bag, add fries, and shake for a bold taste that’s true to South Korean flavors. 
• Hunter Sauce: A sweet chili sauce mixing notes of chili, garlic and pepper with just enough heat inspired by HUNTR/X’s fierce, yet fun-loving personalities. 
• Demon Sauce: A bold mustard sauce with heat and tang — made purple, just like demon patterns. 

Each meal comes with a photocard for either a Saja Boys or Huntr/x member, as well as an access card featuring Derpy, the film’s demon cat mascot. The cat’s card will include a QR code to unlock “exclusive content,” as well as a special reveal of the group that wins the “Battle for the Fans,” though McDonald’s doesn’t get any more specific than that. Outside of the meals themselves, a “Derpy McFlurry” will also be available during the promotion, which includes vanilla soft serve, berry sauce, and “berry popping pearls.”

Though these are technically not kids meals, I can see kids flocking to McDonald’s multiple times in search of the photocards. They’re not toys, but they’re something tangible that lasts longer than lunch. 

All of this is coming a bit late considering KPop Demon Hunters is nearing its one-year anniversary in June, but Sony and Netflix clearly weren’t ready for how big the movie was going to become. A sequel is officially in the works, though, and I expect the rollout for that to be much less scattershot.