KATSEYE's WILD Debuts at No. 1, Sold-Out Arena Tour to Kick Off Sept. 1
The group's companion film KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS also earned nearly $8 million from a limited global theatrical release.
KATSEYE's new EP WILD has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It marks the group's first release to top the tally, and KATSEYE is the first global girl group of its generation to take the No. 1 spot. With 170,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending August 20, WILD is the decade's biggest debut by a girl group on the chart and the biggest U.S. debut by a girl group in 18 years (since Danity Kane's Welcome to the Dollhouse). The opening is more than triple that of their 2025 EP Beautiful Chaos, which bowed with 44,000 units.
Released via HYBE x Geffen Records, WILD includes the Billboard Hot 100 hits 'PINKY UP' and 'Animal.'
The GRAMMY-nominated group simultaneously scored big at the box office. The film KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS – which screened in approximately 1,700 cinemas across 61 countries during its limited release via Trafalgar Releasing – earned nearly $8M at the global box office in the first weekend. In North America, the full gross was $4M+ on 724 screens, landing the title at #5 at the box office for the weekend including previews. Overseas, the international total stands at $3.8M+ during its limited release. Due to intense demand, screening dates were added across the following weekend.
KATSEYE – whose 'PINKY UP' has been nominated in two 2026 MTV VMA Awards, Best K-Pop and Best Choreography – will kick off THE WILDWORLD TOUR at Dublin's 3Arena on September 1. The global run sold out in under 48 hours and includes two-night stands at The O2 in London, UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY, Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City. For further details, visit www.katseye.world.
Following their Coachella debut in April, KATSEYE headlined their first festivals – Hinterland in Saint Charles, IA, and Head In The Clouds in Pasadena, CA – and Olivia Rodrigo personally asked them to perform at her first-ever Daisy Chain Fields festival, which will take place at Great Park in Irvine, CA on August 29.
The group launched WILD with two national television performances. KATSEYE returned to 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' for their second chat with the host – and their first-ever musical performance on a late-night program. On release day, they performed at the Citi Concert Series on NBC's 'TODAY.'
In addition to seven Target-exclusive variants of WILD, KATSEYE's expansive Target partnership went beyond music and created a broader culture and retail story around WILD with ESCO collectible cards and the KUROMI X KATSEYE Capsule Collection. The line, available exclusively at Target Stores and Target.com/katseye while supplies last, spans fashion, collectibles, drinkware, snacks and more. KATSEYE graced a Target billboard in New York City and turned up for a special signing at Target in Jersey City, NJ.
Shaped by a defining two-year journey, WILD captures the feeling of a wild ride fueled by growth and transformation. 'Across the EP, KATSEYE plays with freedom, flirtation, heartbreak and desire. The girls are growing up — and you can hear it,' said Billboard in this feature, which took a look at each of the songs. 'In just two and a half years, KATSEYE has gone from six girls competing on a reality show to one of pop's most exciting emerging global acts.'
GQ, in an article from the September issue, noted, 'Their new EP, Wild, puts a Y2K-pop-influenced spin on their bubbly radio hits—taking the kind of musical risks usually reserved for artists with at least an era or two under their belts.'
In the leadup to the release of WILD, KATSEYE spoke with NPR's 'All Things Considered,' whipped up some of their favorite food for Vogue's 'Now Serving' series, went sneaker shopping with Complex, appeared on the podcast 'Therapuss with Jake Shane' and taught students to dance to 'Animal' in an episode of 'Celebrity Substitute.' The group led off Billboard's 2026 '21 Under 21' list and also appeared in Variety's 'Power of Young Hollywood Impact Report.' KATSEYE was VANITY FAIR's 'VANITIES' subject for the July issue, marking the first time the magazine chose a group for the long-standing feature, and appeared on the June covers of Allure in the United States, Korea and the Philippines.
ABOUT HYBE x Geffen Records
In February 2021, HYBE (formerly Big Hit Entertainment) and UMG's Geffen Records officially announced their strategic joint venture partnership — an unprecedented collaboration between an esteemed U.S. record label and the leading K-pop and entertainment lifestyle platform company, brought together to create the world's first U.S.-based, global girl group modeled on the world-renowned K-pop training & development system. This marked the first time a U.S. record label and a K-pop entertainment company were uniting to combine their expertise in artist discovery and development, and music production to assemble, develop, and introduce a group from ground zero. The November 2021 announcement of the first-ever HYBE x Geffen Global Girl Group Audition that followed kicked off the historic JV. Combining HYBE's global expertise to lead the discovery, training, and development of the group, fan content production processes, and engagement with fans around the world, with Geffen Records' extensive industry network and partners to oversee the music production, marketing, and global distribution operations, the JV aims to debut a new girl group that will transcend national, cultural, and artistic boundaries.
Photo Credit: Julian Song
Photo Credit: Julian Song
