Labubu headed to big screen with Paddington director Paul King

Pop Mart and Sony Pictures are co-developing a Labubu feature film, announced Thursday at a Paris exhibition marking The Monsters’ 10th anniversary.scmp
Paul King, director of Paddington and Wonka, will direct, produce, and co-write with Tony winner Steven Levenson; creator Kasing Lung serves as executive producer.hypebeast
The move aims to build an entertainment franchise as Pop Mart’s stock has dropped sharply from record highs amid cooling demand, according to Bloomberg.bloomberg

Sony and Pop Mart Announce Labubu Feature Film With Paddington Director Paul King

The toothy grin of Labubu is headed to the big screen. Pop Mart and Sony Pictures Entertainment announced on Thursday that they are co-developing a feature film based on the viral monster toy character, enlisting the filmmaker behind Paddington and Wonka to bring the “ugly-cute” creature to cinematic life.scmp

The announcement, made during the Paris stop of a global exhibition tour celebrating The Monsters’ 10th anniversary, pairs BAFTA-nominated director Paul King with Tony Award-winning playwright Steven Levenson to co-write the screenplay. King will also produce and direct the live-action and CGI hybrid, while Labubu creator Kasing Lung will serve as executive producer. Producers Michael Schaefer, known for The Martian, and Wenxin She join the creative team, with Brittany Morrissey overseeing development for Sony Pictures.hypebeast

From Blind Box to Box Office

The film is still in its early stages, with no release date or plot details disclosed. The Hollywood Reporter first reported in November 2025 that Sony had secured the screen rights to the Labubu IP, though at that time no creative team had been attached. Lung, a Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised artist, first introduced Labubu and The Monsters through a picture book trilogy a decade ago. Pop Mart has sold the characters as collectible blind-box toys since 2019, and the dolls exploded into a global phenomenon after Blackpink member Lisa was spotted accessorizing with them in 2024.bbc

The Monsters IP generated $700 million in half-year revenue last year, accounting for nearly half of Pop Mart’s IP sales, according to the company’s earnings report. Pop Mart’s valuation has at times neared $40 billion, surpassing established rivals like Mattel and Hasbro.businessinsider

A Bet on Staying Power

The movie announcement arrives at a complicated moment for Pop Mart. After shares hit a record high last August, the stock has fallen more than 40% amid cooling resale demand and comparisons to the 1990s Beanie Babies bust. The company launched a share buyback program in January to stabilize investor sentiment.bloomberg

Pop Mart’s leadership has framed the film as part of a broader strategy to build a durable entertainment franchise. Chief Operating Officer Si De told CNBC that the company’s primary goal is “to utilize storytelling to deepen people’s connections with these intellectual properties and foster emotional ties”. Morningstar analyst Jeff Zhang called the Sony collaboration “a significant achievement in Pop Mart’s quest to diversify its income sources,” though he cautioned the news was unlikely to move the stock on its own.nbcnews

Whether a Labubu movie can replicate the success of other toy-to-film adaptations — Barbie grossed over $1 billion globally — depends on a question the film’s own long development timeline makes hard to answer: will the world still care about Labubu by the time it reaches theaters?