[Video] Could Niu Lai be China’s highest-return film ever?

Chinese animated film Niu Lai had a dismal start at the box office, selling just 236 tickets and earning 7,169 RMB (around US$1,060) in its first nine days. Just as it appeared likely to disappear from cinemas, posts and videos mocking its awkward 3D modelling and bizarre sounds began circulating online, giving the little-known film its first wave of attention. As more clips leaked out of cinemas and spread across social media, Niu Lai started to go viral.

The worse it looked, the more people wanted to see it for themselves. In an age when AI can produce high-quality animation, everyone wanted to know, how bad could it be? That curiosity sent its box office soaring. Fifteen days after its release, Niu Lai has earned more than 30 million RMB (US$4.5 million), while Chinese ticketing and box office platform Maoyan now forecasts a final gross of nearly 60 million RMB (US$8.9 million).

Niu Lai follows a newborn calf on a dreamlike journey as he learns about love, courage and growing up. The film itself was made entirely by two people: 34-year-old director Xin Yumeng and his mother, producer Sun Lifang.

That backstory made the film more compelling, and the unusual experience of watching it in cinemas added another layer to its appeal. At screenings of Niu Lai, the usual rules of cinema etiquette seemed to fall away. People laughed out loud, commented openly on the characters and recorded the moments they found funniest. For many viewers, it became a chance to put work and pressures aside and simply enjoy the chaos with a room full of strangers.

Whether Niu Lai will ultimately deliver the highest return on investment in Chinese cinema history remains to be seen. Either way, its spectacular comeback will be remembered as one of the most extraordinary box office stories in Chinese cinema history.

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