Summary of the Key Points
"Niulai" is a rough animated film that was created by a mother and her son over a period of five years, with no professional team involved; it was entirely done on their own. Initially, due to a lack of promotion and poor production quality, the film's box office was dismal, earning only 7,711 yuan in the first ten days. However, it unexpectedly became popular thanks to memes and jokes shared on social media platforms, leading to a box office turnaround of over 3 million yuan. Its sudden success reflects the rise of emotional consumption among audiences, the underlying logic of film censorship, the trend of decreasing technical barriers, and the unique randomness of "bad movies" gaining popularity—something that is difficult to replicate.
From Lowest Box Office to 2 Million in a Single Day: A Comeback Triggered by Criticism
Before its release, "Niulai" received almost no attention. With an 86-minute runtime and a total box office of just 7,711 yuan, it had fewer than 300 viewers, and the lowest daily revenue was 188 yuan, setting a new record for the lowest box office score for an animated film in theaters in 2026. The turning point came on August 14th when netizens began to criticize its "disastrous modeling," "stiff movements," and "confused plot," even using scenes from the movie as memes. This "negative curiosity" motivated young people to watch the film late at night, filling a theater in Beijing with 80 people who laughed and joked together.
The audience's sense of adventure prompted theaters to add more showings, and the box office soared. By August 16th, the cumulative box office had exceeded 3 million yuan, with real-time earnings reaching 2.146 million yuan and a theater occupancy rate of 6.8%. Unlike traditional film distribution models (promotion → word-of-mouth → scheduling), "Niulai's success relied on criticism → curiosity → ticket sales → additional showings," with netizens' spontaneous sharing becoming the primary form of promotion.
Why Did "Niulai" Become Popular Despite Being a "Bad Movie"?
Unlike other poorly made films (such as "Chasing Dreams in the Entertainment Industry"), which either attracted attention with low ratings but failed at the box office or quickly disappeared after exploiting intellectual property, "Niulai" has two unique aspects:
1. It's not a cleverly crafted imitation of a bad movie; it's a genuinely sincere effort: Its roughness is an unfiltered original state. Director Xin Yumeng handled the modeling, animation, and voice acting alone, while her mother, Sun Lifang, wrote the script and also provided the voiceovers. The film was made entirely by the two without any external help or professional teams. This "clumsy" approach showed the audience their dedication to their dream, rather than a money-making scheme.
2. The emotional story of a mother and son realizing their dream: The story of the mother learning animation from scratch to help her son fulfill his dream added a layer of warmth to the film. Netizens joked that this was a movie driven by maternal love, turning criticism into more benevolent reactions.
The Dragon Label Is Not a Guarantee of Quality: Censorship Only Ensures Compliance with Basic Standards
Many wondered how such a rough film could obtain the "Dragon Label" (the official release permit). In reality, the censorship process is straightforward:
- Content review: Checks whether the film violates political or value-related guidelines (e.g., any illegal or inappropriate content).
- Technical review: Ensures the film can be safely projected (no bad frames, audio-video sync issues, etc.).
"Niulai" passed both criteria and was allowed to be released. Although the industry often associates the Dragon Label with quality, its purpose is merely to ensure compliance with basic standards; it's the audience who ultimately decide whether a film is successful.
Audiences Seek "Emotion," Not "Quality": The Cost of a Ticket Is for Collective Entertainment
One viewer said, "A ticket costs 20 yuan, the same as a cup of milk tea. Who cares about quality? What we want is to have fun." This statement highlights the consumption logic behind "Niulai": Audiences are not buying a "good movie" but engaging in emotional consumption—no need to deeply process complex themes or experience intricate emotions; they just want to laugh for 86 minutes with others and relieve stress. The reasons to buy tickets include finding the film "fun," "comical," and "interesting." Sharing their viewing experiences on social media and participating in memes after watching adds even more enjoyment than the film itself.
This logic has even changed the way films are scheduled: In the past, theaters and film producers decided the release schedule, but now audiences use their ticket purchases and sharing to influence scheduling, turning from passive recipients into content decision-makers.
Success Is Unrepeatable: A Combination of Luck and Scarcity
Some suggest that "Niulai 2" could be made in just two hours, but its success was due to a series of coincidences:
- The film's extreme roughness (it's one of the worst animated films released online).
- The emotional story of the mother and son's five-year effort.
- The homophonic association with the stock market term "bull market," which capitalized on market sentiment.
- The spontaneous creation and sharing by netizens (free promotion).
Director Nan Xin said, "The key to content success lies in its uniqueness and scarcity." While AI tools have lowered production barriers, imitating "Niulai's" roughness will likely backfire; audiences seek sincerity and authenticity, not deliberate poor quality. Without these elements of luck and scarcity, such a phenomenon cannot be replicated.
In Conclusion: The success of "Niulai" is not a victory for bad movies but a reflection of changing audience preferences and communication methods. It reminds us that the value of a film lies not only in its technical quality but also in emotional resonance and uniqueness. However, this kind of success is hard to replicate, as luck itself is one of the most scarce elements.