SONY DEVELOPING AN EARLY-STAGE LABUBU MOVIE. (PHOTO).

Sony developing an early-stage Labubu movie

Sony is in the early stages of developing a movie based on the Labubu doll plush line.

The Culver City studio has secured the feature film rights to the Chinese toy brand, though no creative team has been attached yet, and it has not been determined whether the project will be animated or live-action. The studio declined to comment further.

Labubu was created in 2015 by Hong Kong-born, Europe-based designer Kasing Lung as part of his story series The Monsters, inspired by Nordic folklore. Initially manufactured by How2 Work, the dolls were later taken over by Chinese retailer Pop Mart, which began selling them in 2019.

While the dolls first gained popularity in East and Southeast Asia, the craze eventually reached the U.S., where rare figures have fetched six-figure prices on the black market. Pop Mart fueled demand by selling Labubu in blind boxes, where buyers do not know which figure they will receive, increasing both retail and auction market value. High-profile fans, including K-pop star Lisa from Blackpink, have further boosted the dolls’ visibility and desirability.

According to Pop Mart’s 2024 annual report, The Monsters lines generated $430 million in revenue, accounting for 23.3% of the company’s total revenue. In the first half of 2025, the series brought in $670 million, nearly 35% of Pop Mart’s total revenue for the period.