Failed Chinese Animated Film ‘Niu Lai’ Unexpectedly Becomes Box Office Hit Fueled by Memes

Chinese 3D animated feature Niu Lai, which pulled in a record-low 7,169 yuan (around $1,000) during its first nine days in theaters, has unexpectedly broken into China’s top 10 box office. Featuring extremely crude animation, the movie went viral on social media, triggering a wave of ironic viewings.

Over its first ten days in theaters, only about 250 people nationwide bought tickets to see the film, making it the year’s biggest animated flop. The situation shifted after short clips showcasing stiff character animation, rendering artifacts, and absurd scenes spread across Chinese social networks. Users on the Douban platform began flooding the movie with ironic five-star reviews, calling it a “masterpiece,” while moviegoers started snapping up tickets as if attending a comedy performance.

According to ticketing aggregator Maoyan, the film’s box office earnings have already topped 2.5 million yuan (over $350,000) and continue to surge. The movie climbed to seventh place in the daily Chinese box office, forcing theaters to urgently schedule thousands of extra screenings.

Production History: Five Years of Work by Mother and Son

According to The Paper, the bulk of the work on the 86-minute film over five years was carried out by just two people — director Xin Yumeng and his mother Sun Lifang. His mother wrote the screenplay, invested her personal funds into production, and voiced several characters with virtually no professional studio team involved.

As China News notes, another catalyst for its popularity was the promotional poster: before the premiere, the creators circulated a single high-quality promo art that stood in stark contrast to the actual 3D graphics, which resembled early-2000s quality.