What happens when a film becomes famous for being terrible? In China, audiences have turned that question into a box-office phenomenon.
Niu Lai, or The Cow Is Coming, an 86-minute animation about a newborn calf and a skylark, opened on 5 August with almost no publicity. It earned only about 7,700 yuan in its first 10 days, with fewer than 300 people buying tickets nationwide.
Then social media changed everything. Clips of its crude animation, stiff characters, awkward voice acting and confusing dream-like story went viral. Viewers mocked it as one of the worst films of 2026. But the ridicule created curiosity, prompting people to buy tickets simply to see whether it was really that bad.
The result has been extraordinary. Niu Lai has crossed 14.9 million yuan, about Rs 20 crore, according to Maoyan. Its sudden surge has put the tiny production alongside major releases such as Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day in China’s box-office conversation.
The success is even more unusual given its scale. Xin Yumeng and Sun Lifang, reportedly a mother-and-son team, worked on the film for five years as writers, directors, producers and voice actors.
Its rough, handmade visuals have attracted viewers looking for an antidote to polished AI-generated content. Its title has also inspired stock-market jokes because its Chinese character can mean both “cow” and “bull”.
Cinemas have added screenings, with some drawing their own posters because the film had almost no promotional material.
State-owned Beijing News, however, warned that cinemas risk losing audiences’ trust by screening substandard films.
For Niu Lai, the internet has become its marketing machine. Audiences are no longer asking whether it is good. They are paying to discover just how bad it really is.
