Mocked for 'worst' animation, Chinese film Niu Lai beats Brand New Day, The Odyssey

Chinese animated film Niu Lai, translated as The Cow Is Coming, has gone from a box-office flop to a viral hit after being mocked online for its "worst" animation, briefly overtaking Spider-Man: Brand New Day and competing with director Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey in China.The 86-minute film, about a newborn calf going through a bizarre coming-of-age process, was released on August 5 and initially drew little attention. It later became a trending title after clips from the film spread online and audiences flocked to cinemas to see if it was really as strange as reports suggested.In its first 10 days, the film failed to earn even 10,000 yuan ($1,480), with reports indicating it made as little as 200 yuan ($30) in a single day. That changed around August 14, when clips from the film began going viral across the internet.Viewers quickly highlighted the rudimentary computer graphics, stiff character movements, and unusual voice acting. Some commented that it looked like a student project, while others dubbed it "worse than AI" and the potential "worst movie of 2026."As clips spread across social networking platforms, online mockery turned into curiosity, driving a sharp surge in the film's box-office collections. Moviegoers who had not heard of the title earlier began filling theatres.A newly released animated film called “Niu Lai” () is going viral for all the wrong reasons in China.People are calling the visuals “disaster-level” , the entire production team was basically just two people: the director and the screenwriter. After 9 days in theaters, the pic.twitter.com/l7RM9ZER67— Tong Bingxue (@tongbingxue) August 15, 2026An X user wrote, "Chinese animated film #NiuLai has sparked heated discussion. Many viewers went to the cinema out of curiosity to see just how bad it really was, and the whole audience kept laughing throughout the screening (sic)."Chinese animated film #NiuLai (#) has sparked heated discussion. Many viewers went to the cinema out of curiosity to see just how bad it really was, and the whole audience kept laughing throughout the screening.- Ihenan_.#movie #film pic.twitter.com/DgpnlMbD1E— //Mrityunjay (@VloggerCalcutta) August 18, 2026Another X user wrote, "Chinese animated film called Niu Lai just set a new low for 3D graphics this year But after the internet caught wind of it, thousands rushed to cinemas to witness the masterpiece for themselves - and the movie is making bank It’s so bad it’s good (sic)." An X post also read, "Worst movie ever made: : Cow Come, has rocketed up the Chinese box office BECAUSE of its poor quality. In the age of AI, viewers mock and praise the utterly amateur handcrafted film. With no official theatre poster, theaters have been hand drawing posters #niulai (sic)."Chinese animated film called Niu Lai just set a new low for 3D graphics this yearBut after the internet caught wind of it, thousands rushed to cinemas to witness the masterpiece for themselves - and the movie is making bankIt’s so bad it’s good#NiuLai # #Herecomesthecow pic.twitter.com/BVMxiFfzPW— Diamond Feed (@DiamondFeedX) August 18, 2026"Worst movie ever made": Cow Come (), has rocketed up the Chinese box office BECAUSE of its poor quality. In the age of AI, viewers mock and praise the utterly amateur handcrafted film. With no official theatric poster, theaters have been hand drawing posters #niulai # pic.twitter.com/hYxPYdohMj— CDrama Club (@cdramaclub_) August 17, 2026On August 15, the film’s daily box office collection jumped to 717,000 yuan, prompting cinema owners to increase its screenings. By August 17, Niu Lai had collected 17.1 million yuan ($2.5 million) and ranked among the top 10 highest-grossing Chinese animations of 2026, according to an ABC News report. On August 18, the film continued its run with a real-time collection of 2.3 million yuan (about $341,213). It briefly rose to fourth place on China’s domestic box office chart and overtook Spider-Man: Brand New Day.According to Manila Bulletin, the film is now closely competing in ticket sales with major Hollywood releases, including Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Tom Holland’s superhero film. Its performance in theatres has been matched by strong reactions on social media.On Douban, the culture-focused website, audiences have posted more than 650 reviews. Viewers described the film as "unusually terrible but eye-opening" and “symbolic of the new trend of internet trolling”.The line mentioned most often was "must see for Chinese investors" in the stock market, owing to the movie’s title being translated there as "the bull is coming."Red Star News reported that Niu Lai was put together over five years by director Xin Yu Meng and his mother, Sun Lifan. The two are said to have handled every part of the production, including writing, directing, producing, animation, editing and voicing.The film was made on a budget of roughly 30,000 yuan (about $4,450). The production company, which has a registered capital of 100,000 yuan (about $14,835), reportedly had no experience in the film industry until 2021.The film’s marketing added to the interest around it. Its official publicity appears to have centred on a poster designed in the style of traditional Chinese ink-wash painting, creating an image very different from the crude animation seen on screen.As the film became popular, theatres began making their own posters with drawings of a calf and slogans such as "Come on over if you like the weird stuff" and "No refunds."Niu Lai has turned from a little-known release into one of the season’s most talked-about films, with audiences drawn first by online mockery and then by curiosity. Its run has taken it from daily earnings of just 200 yuan to competing with major studio releases at the Chinese box office.- EndsPublished By: Anurag BohraPublished On: Aug 19, 2026 12:41 IST