chinese animation film viral (Img AI Generated)
New Delhi: A low-budget Chinese animated film that was initially ignored by audiences has turned into an unexpected box office sensation — not because of its quality, but because viewers found its confusing storyline and poor animation strangely entertaining.
‘Niu Lai’, an animated film featuring a cow in a dream-like sequence, earned just 7,705 yuan ($1,140) during its first 10 days after release. However, after going viral on social media, the film’s earnings surged dramatically, crossing 11.4 million yuan, according to movie tracking platform Mao Yan.
The unexpected success has put the film in competition with major Hollywood releases such as ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ in Chinese theatres.
The film became a viral sensation after users began sharing clips and memes about its unusual plot and basic animation style.
One popular social media post joked:
"You may regret 80 minutes if you watch it, but if you don't, you'll regret it for life."
Many viewers praised the movie’s "hand-crafted" animation style, saying its rough visuals showed that the creators relied on traditional methods instead of artificial intelligence.
A Weibo user described the film as:
"Serious craftsmanship."
Another called it a "pure handmade" production and the biggest "dark horse" of the summer movie season.
The film has also gained popularity among investors because of its title. Chinese internet users connected the movie’s name with the hope of a rising stock market, as the words associated with "cow" and "bull" share a similar meaning in Chinese.
One user joked:
"If the index reaches 4,000 tomorrow, I will go to the cinema to support this movie."
Others said the movie might be poorly made but had a "great name" for investors.
Initially, ‘Niu Lai’ had almost no marketing campaign and received very little attention before release.
However, rising demand forced cinemas to increase screenings. Since the film did not even have an official promotional poster, some theatre staff reportedly created their own posters to attract viewers.
A movie tracking account on Weibo called its success:
"Unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated."
Despite its popularity, the film has also faced criticism.
A commentary published by state-owned Beijing News warned that cinemas could lose audience trust if they continue increasing screenings of movies with extremely poor production standards.
The commentary argued that theatres should maintain quality standards and act as "gatekeepers" instead of promoting films that fail to meet basic expectations.
Despite the criticism, ‘Niu Lai’ has already secured its place as one of the most unusual box office stories of the year — proving that sometimes a movie can become famous precisely because it is considered terrible.
