'Niu Lai': How is a 'disaster-level' Chinese animated film rivalling 'The Odyssey' at the box-office?

There are films that fall under the "so bad, it's good" category... And then there's "ugly", "eerie", "godawful" and "disaster-level".

Those are some of the terms used to describe Niu Lai ('Here Comes The Cow'), a new Chinese animated film directed by Xin Yumeng and produced by Dalian Jingyuan Culture Film and Television Media, formerly an interior design and decoration company.

The film has been ridiculed for its shoddy animation and low-quality effects, and has even faced calls for theatres to stop screening it.

However, in a surprising turn of events, the film has gained sudden notoriety.

Niu Lai started its theatrical rollout with poor box office numbers and scathing reviews, with the stiff animation, poor voice acting and an abstract plot about a newborn calf growing up and coming to terms with love and sacrifice being the main points of criticism. But word of mouth and mockery soon transformed it into a viral sensation on Chinese social media.

From earning only about 10,000 yuan (approx. €1,281) at the box office in the first 10 days after its 5 August release – with some days tallying as little as 200 yuan (€25) at the box office, according to movie-tracking platform Maoyan – Niu Lai ’s box office surged to 8.2 million yuan (more than €1 million) as of Monday. Its total box office has reached 17.1 million yuan (€2.1 million).

As a result, the film is even rivalling Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and is now among the top ten highest-grossing animated films in China in 2026.

So, what gives?

Despite the flood of criticism and memes, some viewers have embraced the rudimentary animation and have started recommending the film as either a prank or a genuine antidote to AI slop taking over social media algorithms. Indeed, the handmade easthetic has apparently resonated with audiences, who champion Niu Lai as a welcome remedy for overly polished studio animation.

Quite where the irony stops and starts is still up for debate...

Regardless, countless fans have begun sharing clips of Niu Lai, praising its low-budget verve and complimenting Xin Yumeng and Sun Lifang, reportedly a mother-and-son team who made Niu Lai over the course of five years and served as the film’s writers, voice actors, and principal crew.

Others simply said they wanted to see it to find out "just how bad it could be" and joked that Nolan must be flabbergasted to witness that Niu Lai is becoming the unlikely rival to The Odyssey – which opened in China on 14 August.

It has proved so popular that cinemas have added screenings of the film in response to soaring demand, proving that all it takes is some social media buzz to elevate your film to certified hit status.

Predictably, some aren't so thrilled at the film's unexpected box office achievement, arguing that Niu Lai 's popularity comes at the expense of more accomplished productions.

For instance, state-owned Beijing News warned that cinemas risk "losing the trust" of viewers if they "continue to lower their standard" with additional screenings of Niu Lai.

The outlet urged cinemas to "act as gatekeepers for the audience, and clearly reject films that are obviously not up to standard instead of letting films like Niu Lai run rampant".

Spoilsports. Whether audiences are laughing at or with the film, Niu Lai has managed to turn mockery into a theatrical success story - as well as one of the highest returns on investment for a Chinese film. Your move, Odysseus.