en.malanginspirasi.com – A bizarre phenomenon is sweeping the Chinese film industry due to the popularity of ‘Niu Lai’ that has transformed into an unexpected box office sensation after going viral for its nonsensical plot and notoriously poor graphics.
This low-budget animated film about a cow in a dream sequence initially grossed a mere 7,705 yuan ($1,140) in its first 10 days of release, according to movie tracking site Mao Yan.
However, it has since seen a massive surge in ticket sales, earning over 11.4 million yuan.
This remarkable jump has allowed the small-scale production to hold its ground against major Hollywood blockbusters like ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’.
“You may regret for 80 minutes if you watch it, but if you don’t, you’ll regret it for life,” one popular social media post regarding the film noted.
A Symbol of Resistance Against AI
As social media algorithms become saturated with AI-generated content, netizens have hailed Niu Lai as a refreshing antidote.
Users are sharing clips of the film, praising its ‘hand-crafted’ methods as a tongue-in-cheek reference to its low-quality animation as proof that the creators did not rely on AI.
“That’s some serious craftsmanship,” a Weibo user wrote.
Another user described it as ‘pure handmade’ and dubbed it the biggest ‘dark horse’ of the summer movie season.
Beyond its ‘so bad it’s good’ appeal, the movie has gained a cult following due to a unique linguistic quirk.
In Chinese, the words for “cow” and “bull” share the same character.
Many investors, desperate for a “bullish” (rising) stock market, have been flocking to theaters as a symbolic ritual to manifest financial luck.
“If the index reaches 4,000 tomorrow, I will go to the cinema to support this movie,” one Weibo user wrote.
Another commented, “It is a terrible movie but has a great name.”
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The film was a low-key production from the start, receiving almost no publicity before its release.
Due to the soaring demand, cinemas have scrambled to add extra screenings.
Because the film lacks an official promotional poster, cinema staff have even resorted to drawing their own by hand to entice audiences.
Criticism by State Media
Not everyone is celebrating the film’s unconventional success.
Over the weekend, the state-owned Beijing News issued a stern warning, cautioning that cinemas risk losing the trust of viewers if they continue to lower their standard by granting more screenings to Niu Lai.
The commentary argued that Niu Lai has once again lowered the bar for audiences’ expectations regarding low-quality films.
It urged cinemas to act as gatekeepers for the audience and clearly reject films that are obviously not up to standard instead of letting films like Niu Lai run rampant.
