A Chinese animated film mocked as “terrible” becomes a box-office hit
- The Chinese animated film "Niu Lai" drew attention after widespread online mockery over its rough 3D-style animation and unusual look.
- After earning only about 10,000 yuan in its first 10 days, the film saw a sharp box-office jump to 8.2 million yuan on Monday and reached 17.1 million yuan in total receipts.
- The film is about a calf that dreams about growing up with help from its family, and local reporting said it was made over five years by director Xin Yumeng and his mother, Sun Lifan, though AP could not independently verify that claim.
- On the Chinese review site Douban, many comments were sarcastic or mocking, and some moviegoers said they attended partly as a prank or because the film had become a meme.
- A few viewers said they did not mind the simple production and described the film as honest and suitable for younger audiences.
The Chinese animated film "Niu Lai" has become an unexpected box-office success after online ridicule helped turn it into a curiosity for some moviegoers. Viewers had mocked the film’s rudimentary animation and described it as ugly or eerie, but the attention appears to have boosted interest rather than suppressed it.
According to the movie-tracking platform Maoyan, the film earned only about 10,000 yuan in its first 10 days after its Aug. 5 release, with some days bringing in as little as 200 yuan. Its performance later surged, reaching 8.2 million yuan on Monday alone and 17.1 million yuan in total ticket sales.
Local outlet Red Star News reported that the film was made over five years by director Xin Yumeng and his mother, Sun Lifan, though AP said it could not independently verify that claim. The movie follows a calf that dreams about growing up with help from its family.
On Douban, reactions included sarcastic praise and mocking comments, and some viewers said they went mainly as a prank or because the film had become a meme. Others said the film’s simple, hand-drawn feel was part of its appeal and called it a rare example of something plain and honest.
一部被嘲为“糟糕”的中国动画片成了票房黑马
中国动画片《Niu Lai》在网上遭到调侃后，意外成为一些观众关注的对象，并转化为票房增长。观众曾批评它的动画制作简陋，并形容其外观怪异，但这种关注似乎反而提升了观影兴趣。
据电影数据平台猫眼统计，这部影片在 8 月 5 日上映后的前 10 天仅收获约 1 万元票房，部分日期单日票房低至 200 元。之后票房明显回升，周一单日达到 820 万元，累计票房升至 1710 万元。
地方媒体红星新闻报道称，这部电影由导演辛梦玉和其母亲孙立凡耗时五年完成，但美联社表示无法独立核实这一说法。影片讲述一头小牛在家人帮助下梦想长大的故事。
在豆瓣上，相关评论里不乏带有讽刺意味的“赞美”和调侃，也有观众表示自己观影主要是为了玩笑，或者因为这部片子已经成了网络梗。另一些观众则认为它的简陋风格有其吸引力，称其朴素而真诚。