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Sony Buys Rights to Viral Labubu Toy for Feature Film Development

The acquisition points to franchise ambitions, with development still at a blank-slate stage.

Overview

  • Sony secured screen rights this week to develop a Labubu feature, with the project framed as a potential franchise.
  • The film is in very early development with no producer, writer or director attached and no decision yet on animation versus live action.
  • Labubu originated in Kasing Lung’s 2015 story series The Monsters and expanded widely after Pop Mart began selling the line in 2019.
  • Celebrity visibility and a blind-box model have fueled a heated resale market, with rare editions reportedly fetching six-figure prices at auction.
  • The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned that counterfeit Labubu toys can pose choking hazards for small children.