Niu Lai, a Chinese film produced by a mother-and-son duo, has become one of the most profitable movies of all time – despite lackluster animation and cinemas forcing it out of screens in its home country.
The Chinese production, directed by Xin Yumeng and Sun Lifang, follows the dreamlike story of calf Niu Lai as it befriends a leopard called Bao La.
At a cost of roughly $1000, they brought the film to life and, remarkably, into theaters in China. Despite an extremely slow start, the film went viral thanks to social media posts about its low-quality art and storytelling. In a sense, it is The Room of its day.
A Chinese animated movie has gone viral after making just $1,000 at the box office, with only around 200 people seeing itViewers branded its animation “worse than AI” pic.twitter.com/508Qv50g0dAugust 15, 2026
But this is no mere flash in the pan. It has now grossed over $4 million at the Chinese box office, making back over 4000 times its budget. By comparison, Obsession (which cost only $1 million to produce) would have had to gross four billion at the box office to match up to that.
According to Hong Kong 01, cinemas in some regions withdrew Niu Lai from screenings over fears it would "damage" its reputation. Spoilsports.
In a statement, director Yumeng was thankful for the "complete creative experience.
Yumeng said, "There was both praise and criticism, and we took all feedback seriously. We understand that there are still many areas for improvement in the work, and we respect the opinions of every viewer."
Between Obsession, Backrooms, and Niu Lai, 2026 really has been all about the cinematic underdogs – and cows.
For more, check out the other movie release dates over the horizon.
