Pop Mart’s Labubu headed to big screen in collaboration with Sony Pictures

2026.03.19 00:20 A Labubu plush toy is displayed in a Pop Mart shop in Shanghai on August 29, 2025. Photo: AFP Chinese toymaker Pop Mart and Sony Pictures Entertainment announced on Thursday a feature film starring Labubu, the company’s most popular character. Analysts said the film was a strategic move to extend Labubu’s intellectual property (IP) value and support medium-term growth, following the trajectory of global icons like Barbie and Hello Kitty. The film, still in early development, would be a mix of live action and computer-generated imagery, Pop Mart said in a statement. Lung Ka-sing, the creator of Labubu, would serve as an executive producer, it said, while Paul King, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts-nominated filmmaker behind Wonka and Paddington, was attached to produce and direct. King would also co-write the script with Tony Award-winner Steven Levenson, the statement said. Lung, born in Hong Kong and raised in the Netherlands, first brought Labubu and The Monsters to life in a picture book series. The film project was announced at the Paris stop of a global exhibition tour celebrating The Monsters’ 10th anniversary, according to the company. The collaboration marked a significant milestone in “bringing the beloved The Monsters IP from the world of collectibles to the big screen”, Pop Mart said, adding that it would create a “unique cinematic experience with creative storytelling, artistic vision and enduring global appeal”. “As a top IP, Labubu can hardly build long-term value through blind boxes and collaborations alone,” said Fu Yifu, a special researcher at Su Merchants Bank based in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. “Films can infuse the characters with emotion and a unique world view, turning them from collectibles into emotional carriers and extending the IP’s life cycle.” With Sony’s global distribution network, Labubu would reach a mainstream audience, enhance its global influence and character recognition, drive toy sales and boost

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