An independently produced Chinese animated film featuring rudimentary 3D visuals has unexpectedly climbed the box-office charts following an influx of scathing online reviews and viral social media pranks, according to data from movie-tracking platform Maoyan and reports from local media.
Box-Office Trajectory and Production Background
Released on August 5, the film “Niulai”—which centers on a young calf dreaming of growing up with his family’s help—initially struggled to draw audiences during China’s competitive summer movie season. According to Maoyan, the production earned roughly 10,000 yuan, or about $1,480, during its first ten days in theaters, with daily takings dipping as low as 200 yuan ($30) on certain days. However, the film experienced a dramatic shift when box-office earnings rose to 8.2 million yuan ($1.2 million) on a single Monday, drawing nearly 300,000 admissions, according to Maoyan data cited by The Associated Press. The title’s cumulative box office has since reached 17.1 million yuan, or approximately $2.5 million.
Red Star News, a local news outlet based in Chengdu, reported that the feature was developed over a five-year period by a two-person team consisting of director Xin Yumeng and his mother, Sun Lifan, though The Associated Press was unable to independently verify those details or reach the director. Movie theater displays have featured hand-drawn, uncolored pen illustrations of a calf alongside handwritten slogans that read, “Come on over if you’re into the bizarre” and “No refunds.”
Internet Culture and Viewer Reactions
The surge in ticket sales was largely propelled by negative online reviews and internet troll culture on platforms such as Douban, where users posted mocking and bewildered appraisals. Among the prominent comments noted by viewers were descriptions of the feature as “unbelievably terrible and eye-opening” and “a must-watch for Chinese stock market investors”—the latter functioning as a play on the film’s title, “Niulai,” which translates literally to “the bull is coming” as an expression of hope for a financial bull market.
Some younger moviegoers turned attendance into a social experiment or joke. Du Mingxi, a 19-year-old college student in Shanghai, told reporters that his primary intention was to play pranks on acquaintances. “If a friend asks me what I think about the movie, I’d say good and recommend them to watch,” Du said, noting that he successfully tricked two friends into viewing the film. He compared the phenomenon to viral internet trends where audiences are drawn to eccentric media simply because it is unusual, remarking that young people “just love spreading these memes virally.”
Not all reactions were entirely ironic. Zhong Jiaming, a vocational schoolteacher in Guangzhou, defended the project’s lack of polish, characterizing it as a refreshing alternative to heavily budgeted productions. “This is a movie for the young at heart,” Zhong said, describing it as “simple and honest, like a bedtime story for children.”
