The film, still in early development, will feature the fanged stuffed monsters in a “live-action and CGI hybrid,” Beijing-based Pop Mart said Thursday.
Created in 2015 by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung, Labubus caused a sensation nine years later, with the “ugly cute” charms adorning the bags of celebrities such as Rihanna and Dua Lipa and prompting massive queues at Pop Mart stores around the world.
Vivian Jia, a Canadian tourist visiting Pop Mart’s flagship store in Shanghai, said she was looking forward to watching Labubu’s film with her children.
“I think they are so cute, especially the ones with eyes that move… All my friends’ children like (Labubus) too,” she told AFP.
Jia said he spent more than 400 yuan ($58) on a Labubu figurine, which he said he planned to display in his living room in Vancouver.
The new film project, unveiled by Lung and director Paul King (“Wonka” and “Paddington”) in Paris on Thursday, will seek to capitalize on the dolls’ viral fame by bringing “the whimsical world of Labubu to the big screen,” Pop Mart said.
The collectible dolls, which typically sell for around $40, are released in limited quantities and are sold in “blind boxes,” meaning buyers don’t know the exact model they will receive.
Some of the less common Labubu figures can fetch thousands of dollars.
Pop Mart sold more than 100 million Labubu dolls worldwide last year, and Chinese officials hailed the popularity of the toothy characters as evidence of China’s growing cultural and soft power.
They have become furry ambassadors for a “cool” China, even in places like Europe and North America, where public opinion toward Beijing has not always been positive.
Camilla Pinheiro, a Brazilian Pop Mart fan who bought several dolls at the Shanghai store, said she would prefer a movie franchise over some of Pop Mart’s lesser-known toy lines, such as the punk-inspired Peach Riot figures.
“The whole (Labubu) fever was kind of intense… when they finish the movie, it will be very saturated,” Pinheiro said.
King will share screenwriting duties with Tony Award winner Steven Levenson.
“The collaboration between Pop Mart and Sony Pictures marks an important milestone,” said Pop Mart, promising “a unique cinematic experience with creative storytelling, artistic vision and lasting global appeal.”
The company now has more than 600 stores in more than 30 countries and regions.
A release date for the film has not yet been announced.