Colloquially Bad Film Niu Lai Turns Viral Box‑Office Rival
· Entertainment · Indian Express, Financial Times
The 86‑minute Chinese animated film Niu Lai, released on Aug 5, earned only about 10,000 yuan in its first ten days, with some days recording as little as 200 yuan. Social media posts mocking its crude animation and odd storyline sparked curiosity, leading to a surge in ticket sales. On a single day the film collected 8.2 million yuan and drew nearly 300,000 admissions, and its total box‑office reached 17.1 million yuan. The daily collections at times exceeded those of Hollywood releases The Odyssey and Spider‑Man: Brand New Day, prompting cinemas to add screenings despite the lack of official promotional material and hand‑drawn posters with slogans like “Come on over if you’re into the bizarre.”
Why it matters
The case shows how internet ridicule can transform a low‑budget film into a box‑office success in China, influencing how domestic film distributors and Hollywood studios approach releases in the Chinese market.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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