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Sony Nabs Labubu Screen Rights for Feature Development

The acquisition is a bet that the toy craze will hold through a years-long film development cycle.

Overview

  • The agreement closed this week with no producers, writers, director or cast attached, and Sony declined to comment.
  • The studio has not chosen a format, leaving live-action versus animation undecided.
  • The characters were created in 2015 by Hong Kong–born artist Kasing Lung, first made by How2 Work before Pop Mart took over sales in 2019.
  • Pop Mart’s blind-box model and celebrity adoption, notably by BLACKPINK’s Lisa, drove global demand and a resale market where limited items have fetched six-figure sums.
  • Coverage cites Pop Mart reporting a 396% net-profit jump and about $670 million tied to Labubu this year, highlighting the commercial rationale for the deal.