Pop Mart International Group and Sony Pictures Entertainment announced plans on March 19 for a feature film starring Labubu, the viral "ugly-cute" nine-toothed monster toy with its signature fanged grin.
The project marks Pop Mart's bold push to transform its top character from collectible blind-box sensation into a global entertainment franchise following Disney's model, with expansions into content, theme parks, and merchandise.
The live-action/CGI hybrid is in early development, timed to coincide with Labubu: The Monsters' 10th Anniversary global tour stop in Paris.
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BAFTA-nominated director Paul King (Paddington, Paddington 2, Wonka) will direct, produce, and co-write the screenplay along with Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen). Kasing Lung, creator of Labubu via his 2015 The Monsters Trilogy picture books, serves as executive producer.
Lung, who was born in Hong Kong, moved to the Netherlands as a child and grew up in a small village inspired by Nordic folklore and fairy tales. He became a children’s book illustrator in Belgium where he was the first Chinese artist to win the national Illustration Award. His creation is said to “blur the lines between art toys, collectible culture and psychological storytelling”.
Pop Mart, headquartered in Beijing, aims to sustain Labubu's momentum amid slowing toy sales growth. The character's global hype has boosted the shares of Pop Mart International Group Ltd, a Hong Kong-listed firm, by 64 percent in the past year, surpassing Hasbro’s, Mattel’s, and Sanrio's combined market value.
Morningstar analyst Jeff Zhang hailed the Sony tie-up as a "milestone" for revenue diversification via licensing, though it won't materially impact stock valuation.
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No release date is set, but the film underscores Pop Mart's strategy — which recently included acquiring a Beijing theme park and establishing its European headquarters in London — to build lasting IP value like Barbie or Hello Kitty.
With inputs from agencies
