Sign #11,872 that the apocalypse is upon us: Sony Pictures has just bought the rights to make a Labubu movie. As The Studio captured so perfectly, everyone in Hollywood wants their own billion-dollar box office Barbie. Nevermind that Barbie-the-doll has decades of history and social connotations, plus a dynamo woman-led filmmaking team who brought the long-awaited movie to life. Technically, it’s too soon for me to grouse about the filmmakers behind Labubu: The Movie, because there aren’t any yet. The ink is still wet on the deal, but Sony Pictures really wants us to know that they’ve secured the rights! Even if there’s nothing else to report yet. I’m sure it’s in no way related to their having just taken a ginormous L for selling KPop Demon Hunters to Netflix. So even though there’s not much news to report, The Hollywood Reporter still boasted about having the exclusive:
Labubu, the plush toy line of scruffy cute-ugly monsters, could be headed to the big screen.
Sony Pictures, home of the Jumanji movies and, via its animation division, KPop Demon Hunters, has picked up the screen rights to the Chinese doll brand with the aim of making a movie and, in success, launching a franchise.
No producer or filmmaker is attached at this stage, as the deal was just signed this week. It is also too early to tell whether the potential movie would be live-action or animated.
Sony had no comment.
Designed by Hong Kong-born, European-based artist Kasing Lung and initially made by How2 Work as part of a line of monster figurines, Labubu took off when Chinese retailer Pop Mart took over making and selling them in 2019.
It took a few years, but Labubus exploded in popularity recently for two main reasons. One, Pop Mart’s use of selling them via “blind boxes,” meaning buyers never know what they are acquiring until they open the package, which then also spurs demand. This also creates a superheated secondary market, where collectors pay exorbitant amounts to get the dolls they want online, at pop up sales and in traditional brick and mortar locations. Limited editions artworks and auctions have seen items hit six figure prices.
The second factor was the adoption of the toys by certain celebrities, particularly K-pop group Blackpink member Lisa, who in 2024, used them as accessories.
The toys became a sensation first in Southeast Asian markets before taking the rest of the world by storm. Pop Mart’s profits reportedly soared by 350 percent earlier this year. Labubu is the name of the lead monster doll of the line, which counts leader Zimomo, companion Mokoko, and boyfriend Tycoco as characters among others.
It may be too soon to tell if Labubu will fall into fads such as Beanie Babies or something longer lasting such as Hello Kitty.
While once Hollywood projects inspired toys, in the last decade in particular has seen an inverse, with toys inspiring movies. The Lego Movie, released in 2014, was perhaps one of the first brand names without an already created storyline or even characters to see a successful major studio production, generating critical acclaim and box office ka-ching. More recently, Barbie accomplished a similar feat, generating over $1 billion at the worldwide box office while nabbing eight Oscar nominations. This week, Sony and Mattel Films announced they were developing a feature based on View Master.
Wait, they’re making a View Master movie?? That is hilarious. I mean, I can see it being a fun exercise in imagination for students in film school. But is Sony really putting their franchise dreams in a feature length movie about… a hand-held slide show? Who knows, maybe I’m the crazy one. Except I’m not wrong in my vehemence towards Labubu!! I’m glad THR invoked the ghost of Beanie Babies in comparison to this menace of our times! And look, it’s not that I’m against movies based on toys on principle. Even I will admit that The Beanie Bubble was a funny, if offbeat movie. But part of what made it interesting was the time that has passed since the initial frenzy. The distance left room for perspective and commentary on what the hell happened. Regretfully, I do not think we are out of the Labubu labubble quite yet.
PS — I am not a control freak (I’m NOT!), but there is no way I would spend money on a “blind box.” Not in this economy!
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Photos credit: IMAGO/Kobe Li/Avalon, CFOTO/Avalon/Avalon
Monchichi’s would like a word.
No.
It’ll be interesting see if they can find an audience. The thing about Barbie, Legos, Transformers, is that people grew up with them; they were part of the imaginative play of the their childhood, they could make up stories about them and using them. So, a movie with more stories about a beloved toy would have appeal. But a toy that’s not played with by children, that teens and adults buy for collection purposes – that’s not very imaginative. Unless, it’s a sad story about a poor Labubu who wants more out of life than just hanging from somebody’s purse.
I mean I guess if they made some movies about Troll dolls they might as well make some for these things. I wonder if Justin Timberlake will do a song for these ones too?
But troll dolls were around in the 70’s and then made a comeback in the 90’s!