Crude Animation ‘Niu Lai’ Becomes Viral Box-Office Oddity
SingTao · 5 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago6 MIN
Summary
A little-known mainland animated feature, Niu Lai (《牛來》), has turned from a near-invisible release into an online talking point because of its widely mocked production quality. The film opened on 5 August and earned only about RMB7,705 to RMB7,711 in its first 10 days, with fewer than 300 admissions, briefly setting the year’s lowest box-office mark for a mainland theatrical animation. After social-media ridicule, meme-making and ironic five-star reviews spread, cinemas in cities including Beijing and Guangzhou added screenings as curiosity audiences showed up. Reports say the film was made over five years by director Xin Yumeng and his mother Sun Lifang with no outside investment or professional production team, and that the distributor had even advised against releasing it theatrically.
Key Points
- Maoyan data cited by Sing Tao said Niu Lai received 245 screenings on opening day, but that fell to 25 the next day and just four nationwide by 14 August.
- Early box-office performance was exceptionally weak: about RMB7,705 to RMB7,711 after 10 days, with 236 viewers or under 300 admissions reported by different platforms.
- Viewers complained of illogical plotting, empty storytelling, stiff character movement, crude 3D modelling, weak dialogue and visuals some described as cheaper than basic AI-generated animation.
- The online backlash became free publicity, pushing daily screenings up to 359, 1,568 or more in later reports, while single-day takings were reported at RMB46,000, RMB148,000 and RMB800,000.
- on.cc reported cumulative box office had climbed above RMB2.21 million by early 16 August, with about RMB2.44 million including presales, while other outlets earlier cited lower running totals.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the episode shows how mainland cinema can now be driven as much by meme culture and ironic consumption as by conventional marketing or critical reception. It also underlines that a film can clear formal release procedures while still triggering debate over quality control, audience expectations and the role of distributors and cinemas in amplifying viral content.