Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Mocked Chinese Animation Niu Lai Surges Against Hollywood Blockbusters
Niu Lai is a Chinese cartoon movie about a calf and a skylark.
A mother and son reportedly spent more than five years making it.
The movie had almost no advertising and very few people watched it at first.
It earned only about 7,700 yuan during its first 10 days.
Then people online began sharing clips and joking about its rough animation and confusing story.
Many others bought tickets because they wanted to see whether it was really that bad.
This unexpected attention made the movie earn millions of yuan.
Some reports give different totals, ranging from 11.4 million to about 17.1 million yuan.
It sometimes beat bigger movies on a single day, but it did not come close to them in overall earnings.
Niu Lai, an 86-minute Chinese animated film, was reportedly made over five years by Xin Yumeng and Sun Lifang, a mother-and-son team.
The film opened in China on August 5 with little promotion and earned about 7,700 yuan in its first 10 days, with fewer than 300 reported ticket buyers.
Clips mocking its crude graphics, stiff movements, awkward voices and confusing story spread across Chinese social media.
Reports put its later Chinese earnings between 11.4 million and 17.1 million yuan, depending on the source and date of measurement.
Niu Lai reportedly surpassed Spider-Man: Brand New Day on some individual days and competed with The Odyssey in daily rankings, while remaining far behind both in total revenue.
- Who
- Xin Yumeng and Sun Lifang, reportedly a mother-and-son team who created much of Niu Lai.
- What
- A little-known animated film became an unexpected box-office hit after online mockery drew curious audiences.
- When
- The film was released in China on August 5; its surge followed the spread of clips on social media.
- Where
- Chinese cinemas and Chinese social media platforms.
- Why
- Online criticism and curiosity encouraged viewers to buy tickets and judge the film themselves.
Viewers Embracing Its Handmade Style
Critics Questioning Its Quality
Visual style
Viewers Embracing Its Handmade Style
Some viewers see the rough, handcrafted appearance as refreshing compared with highly polished digital or artificial-intelligence-generated imagery.
Critics Questioning Its Quality
Critics describe the animation as crude, stiff, glitchy and primitive, with awkward character movements and voice acting.
Reason for the success
Viewers Embracing Its Handmade Style
Supporters and curious audiences helped turn the film’s unusual style and online attention into an alternative form of promotion.
Critics Questioning Its Quality
Critics and industry skeptics say many people bought tickets mainly to laugh at the film or verify claims that it was exceptionally poor.
Artistic priorities
Viewers Embracing Its Handmade Style
Director Xin Yumeng said he prioritized letting the story move forward over polishing every visual detail, arguing that audiences would not inspect every detail closely.
Critics Questioning Its Quality
An unnamed industry professional reportedly judged the film negatively across its story, special effects and nearly every other major element.
- Film
- Niu Lai, translated as The Cow Is Coming
- Runtime
- 86 minutes
- Creators
- Xin Yumeng and Sun Lifang reportedly wrote, directed, produced and voiced the film
- Initial box office
- About 7,700 yuan, or 7,705 yuan in one report, during the first 10 days
- Initial audience
- Fewer than 300 reported ticket buyers nationwide
- Later earnings
- Reports cited totals of more than 11.4 million yuan, 14.9 million yuan and about 17.1 million yuan
- Release strategy
- The film reportedly had no trailer, promotional tour or substantial conventional marketing
- Box-office comparison
- It reportedly won some daily comparisons with Spider-Man: Brand New Day and competed with The Odyssey, but remained far behind both in total revenue
Sources
2 People Made This Chinese Film for Rs 1 Lakh. Now It's Beating Spider-Man And Odyssey
Move over, Spider-Man: ‘Bad’ Chinese animation Niu Lai takes on The Odyssey at the box office
Handmade poster, memes, sudden box office boon: What is the hype behind ‘worse than AI’ Chinese animated film Niu Lai?
