@chinaminutes: How did a film like this actually make it into cinemas? 😭 Chinese animated film Niu Lai has become an unexpected viral sensation — not for its stunning visuals, but because viewers couldn’t believe just how rough the animation looked. Released on August 5 with virtually no promotion, the film made just ¥342 on its first day and only ¥7,169 ($1,000) after nine days, with just 236 people having watched it. Then the internet discovered it. Clips of its crude 3D models, unusual animation and bizarre scenes began circulating across Chinese social media, with viewers joking that it looked like something “even AI couldn’t generate.” Others admitted they knew it was bad but still wanted to see just how bad it could possibly be. The result? Its box office exploded to around ¥14.9 million ($2.1M) as cinemas added more screenings to meet the sudden demand. But the story gets even stranger. Niu Lai was made almost entirely by director Xin Yumeng and his mother, Sun Lifang, who reportedly spent around five years creating it without a conventional production team. Its distributor later revealed that Xin was an acquaintance and that they had actually tried to persuade him not to release the film after seeing it. Xin insisted, so they ultimately helped bring it to cinemas. 💭 Would you pay to watch a movie just to see how bad it really is?👇🏼 #viralmovie #failed #animation #chinesemovie #cinema

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Monday 17 August 2026 23:40:06 GMT