LayarHijau – Chinese animated film Niu Lai (《牛来》) has unexpectedly become a hot topic after initially receiving almost no attention. The film, which has been criticized for its simplistic visuals, rough production, and abstract storyline, has instead staged a surprising box-office comeback.
When Niu Lai was released on August 5, 2026, its daily box office was reportedly as low as around 100 yuan, or roughly US$14. However, by around 1 p.m. on August 15, its daily earnings had climbed to about 100,000 yuan, or approximately US$14,000.
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That represents a roughly 1,000-fold increase in its daily box office in a matter of days.
The surge came after Niu Lai began attracting widespread attention on Chinese social media. Ironically, much of the initial buzz came from negative comments questioning the film’s animation quality and storyline.
Rather than driving audiences away, the criticism sparked curiosity. Some netizens said they wanted to see the film for themselves simply to find out whether it was really as bad as people claimed.
The online buzz soon began affecting cinema schedules. Several theaters in Nanjing added screenings of Niu Lai after noticing the growing interest. In an even more unusual development, some fans bought seats in groups and arranged them in the theater to form the Chinese character “牛” (cow) and the title “牛来” (Niu Lai).
A cinema in Nanjing’s Liuhe District confirmed that the additional screenings were introduced because of the film’s sudden popularity online.
A staff member said the ticket-buying stunt was entirely organized by fans themselves and was not coordinated by any organized moviegoing group.
“We saw it yesterday afternoon while browsing the platforms. Everyone was saying the movie was bad, but many people in the comments also said, ‘If the reviews are really that bad, then I want to see just how bad it actually is,’” the staff member said.
The cinema initially added screenings simply as a test to see whether the online buzz would translate into actual ticket sales. The response, however, was far stronger than expected.
“When we added the screenings, we really didn’t expect this much attention. We were just trying to follow the online trend and see how it went. But ticket sales over the past two days have far exceeded our expectations. People are already buying tickets for today and tomorrow,” the staff member explained.
The cinema also expected that most of those who bought tickets would actually show up for the screenings.
A similar situation unfolded at Xinjiekou, one of Nanjing’s busiest commercial areas. Yingxing International Cinema’s Xinjiekou location was screening Niu Lai five times a day.
The 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. screenings were both selling relatively well, while the cinema had extended its schedule for the film through August 22.
A cinema staff member said the initial decision to screen Niu Lai was partly an experiment aimed at younger audiences.
“The colleagues responsible for scheduling are relatively young. We noticed that the movie was getting a lot of discussion online. The reactions were mixed, but many young people seemed interested. Since not many nearby cinemas were screening it, we decided to add a few sessions and see how it performed,” the staff member said.
The resulting attendance, however, turned out to be better than expected.
Niu Lai follows a newborn calf who brings a skylark that has just flown in from the desert into its dreams. In the dream, the skylark witnesses the calf’s gradual transformation into a brave figure who learns to take responsibility and confront life and death after being influenced by various forces.
The film also has an unusually small core creative team. According to information listed on Douban, the main credits include only director Xin Yumeng and screenwriter Sun Lifang. The two also provided voices for the film.
Its simple visuals and abstract storytelling have become the main source of debate among viewers. Niu Lai’s popularity on Douban has reportedly risen to third place, behind Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey and Shen Teng’s Welcome to Long Restaurant.
Audience reactions, meanwhile, have been sharply divided.
Some viewers have criticized the film’s production as excessively crude and said they could hardly believe it was an animated feature released in 2026.
“The movie is way too rough and poorly made.”
“I feel like I was tricked into going to the cinema. It was unbelievably bad.”
“I really can’t believe this is an animated film from 2026,” some viewers wrote.
Others, however, have given Niu Lai five-star ratings and praised the film despite the wave of criticism surrounding it.
One viewer even said the story, pacing, and voice performances were all on point.
“From the story and pacing to the performances, everything worked. After the movie ended, I sat in my seat for another three minutes before leaving,” the viewer wrote.
That stark contrast between mockery and praise has only fueled the film’s growing popularity. Niu Lai, which initially struggled to earn even around US$14 a day, suddenly found itself at the center of a viral phenomenon—with curiosity alone driving its daily box office up roughly 1,000-fold.
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