This movie is so bad, it became a box-office hit
An animated film widely mocked online is finding ironic success in China
• less than 3 min read
Did you hear about the movie having box-office success despite poor reviews and a bad script? No, it’s not an Adam Sandler project featuring Rob Schneider—it’s Niu Lai, an animated film about a cartoon bull that’s drawing people to theaters in China.
Niu Lai, which translates to “Here Comes the Cow,” was reportedly made for just $47 by a mother/son team, who provided all of the movie’s voices and released it through a production company that was formerly an interior decorating business. The online community mocked it over the weekend, calling it “worse than AI.” But not being made with AI eventually endeared it to viewers:
- In the first 10 days after its Aug. 5 release, the film grossed only $1,140.
- But it’s earned $1.7 million since the viral negativity. Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan predicts Niu Lai can make ~$3 million within 30 days of its release.
The budget was so paltry that cinemas didn’t have posters to display, so theaters drew their own (and as you can see, AI wasn’t used to make them, either).
If you want to watch Niu Lai but don’t want to make the trip to Beijing, the full movie is currently available on YouTube.—DL
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