A low-budget Chinese animated film that went viral for its poor animation and confusing plot has become an unlikely box office success, with ticket sales surging after its release.
“Niu Lai,” an animation about a cow in a dream sequence, earned just 7,705 yuan ($1,140) during its first 10 days in cinemas. It has since grossed more than 11.4 million yuan, according to Chinese movie-tracking platform Mao Yan.
The film is now competing at the box office with major Hollywood releases including “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
The film attracted widespread attention on Chinese social media because of its low-quality graphics and complicated storyline.
Some social media users have praised the film’s apparent hand-crafted animation style, describing it as an alternative to the AI-generated content increasingly appearing on social media platforms.
The film has also attracted support because of its title. Some users have linked the word for “cow” in Chinese with hopes for a bullish stock market.
Despite receiving little publicity before its release earlier this month, the film has become popular that cinemas have added additional screenings to meet demand.
The film reportedly does not have an official promotional poster, prompting several cinema staff to create their own posters to attract audiences. (Newswire)