Chinese Animated Film 'Niu Lai' Reportedly Pulled From Theaters After Viral Ridicule
The crudely made Chinese animated film "Niu Lai" became an unlikely box-office dark horse after its poor quality drew curious moviegoers, but has now reportedly been ordered off theater screens.
Photo: Liberty Times (LTN)
With Chinese box-office numbers in a slump recently, few expected an animated film called "Niu Lai" to break out of the pack. Yet its shoddy production quality ended up piquing viewers' curiosity, prompting waves of people to head to theaters just to see how bad it was. Against all odds, the film's box office surged, sparking widespread discussion.
The Chinese animated film "Niu Lai" was so crude that netizens complained even AI could have done a better job.
The film has recently become an unexpected dark horse in Chinese theaters. It received no promotion whatsoever and went straight into theatrical release, even earning the "Dragon Seal" approval from China's National Radio and Television Administration. Because its animation was so rough, many netizens posted bootlegged clips online to mock it, blasting the movie with comments like "even AI could do better than you." Unexpectedly, this ridicule turned it into a viral sensation.
Some theaters even resorted to hand-drawing posters for "Niu Lai."
Netizens later dug up the fact that the film's crew consisted of just two people, with director Xin Yumeng also serving as a voice actor. The more people heard about it, the more curious they became about just how bizarre the movie was, and they flocked to theaters to support it. Some cinemas have even hand-drawn "Niu Lai" posters to join in on the joke.
According to data from the box-office platform Maoyan, "Niu Lai" earned 6.26 million yuan (about NT$29.72 million) from its August 5 release through press time on August 16. For the first 10 days of its run, daily takings ranged from just a few hundred to a few thousand yuan. But after it went viral on August 15, the box office shot straight up to 710,000 yuan, and reached 5.53 million yuan the following day—a genuine miracle.
However, word spread online that "Niu Lai" had been ordered to halt screenings and be pulled from theaters. Many Chinese netizens on Weibo and Douban voiced their support for the move, arguing that the film was an embarrassment on the international stage: "This kind of movie is truly shameful," "bad money driving out good," "audiences have been fed enough garbage," "this farce should come to an end," "how can such a terrible film even get a theatrical release," and "shouldn't someone look into how it got the Dragon Seal in the first place?"
Director Xin Yumeng also confirmed in a post that "Niu Lai" would soon be pulled from theaters. "There has been both affection and criticism, and we have taken every voice to heart. We understand there is much room for improvement in the work, and we respect the views of every audience member." He said the experience had been precious to the team, and that they would take time to reflect and continue working hard in their future creative endeavors.
Source: Liberty Times (LTN) — https://ent.ltn.com.tw/news/breakingnews/5542121