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Chinese 'worst' movie 'Niu Lai' becomes a unlikely global hit, surpassing 40 million yuan at box office_我的网站

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    Photo: Screenshot from website
Chinese animated film Niu Lai, initially mocked online for its "worest" production, has become an unlikely box-office and internet sensation in China and abroad, spawning memes, merchandise and growing interest from global audiences.
Niu Lai crossed 40 million yuan ($5.95 million) in box-office receipts late Saturday, according to Lighthouse, a Chinese ticketing and box-office platform. Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey currently ranks sixth among this summer's top-grossing films in China, with box-office receipts reaching 457 million yuan.
The film opened in Chinese theaters August 5 and grossed just 342 yuan on its opening day. Its box office totaled around 7,700 yuan over its first 10 days before screenings and ticket sales surged beginning August 14, fueled by widespread online ridicule and curiosity about the film's notoriously rough animation.
It was made over five years by a mother-and-son team, with its crude animation, stiff character movements and unusual plot becoming the main source of its popularity.
It has since become a broader online phenomenon in China. Merchants have begun selling plush toys modeled on its characters, while fans have created memes, posters and other unofficial merchandise. Moviegoers have even placed homemade posters in theaters, although the production company has not released an official poster.
On Douyin, China's version of TikTok, users have produced numerous clips and other fan-made content based on the film. Multiple official Chinese accounts on the platform have also joined the trend, while some users have used AI tools to create new variations of the meme.
Police in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui Province, used an image from the film in a traffic-safety notice posted on its Douyin account.
Interest has also emerged in Hong Kong, where users on social media have been discussing the film's surprise box-office success and calling for its release in local theaters. Some users tagged Broadway Cinematheque, a Hong Kong independent cinema, asking when it would screen the film. The cinema's official account replied "in talks," prompting excitement among Hong Kong moviegoers. 
The cinema later said it had received a number of requests from audiences but that no screening plans had been finalized, local media reported.
The phenomenon has also crossed China's borders.
The Financial Times and other international media outlets have reported on the film, with some comparing its unlikely rise to cult movies such as The Room, which became famous in part because audiences embraced its flaws.
The movie's growing popularity has also moved beyond social media.
In San Francisco, two independently organized screenings of Niu Lai sold out, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The screenings were held at a time when the film had yet to secure a broad official overseas release.
The film is now attracting interest from overseas distributors, with Singapore film distributors considering bringing Niu Lai to local theaters, according to Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao.
The Niu Lai meme has also been picked up by organizations outside China, showing how the film's imagery has begun to take on a life beyond the movie itself.
In Malaysia, a blood donation center in Johor Bahru used the story of Niu Lai in a humorous and inspirational social media message encouraging people to donate blood, according to Lianhe Zaobao.
The official TikTok account of Dutch railway operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen also joined the trend, using the Niu Lai meme in one of its posts.
Such uses suggest that Niu Lai is evolving beyond a film-related meme into a broader piece of internet culture, with institutions and brands using its recognizable imagery to connect with audiences, Zhang Peng, a cultural researcher and associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, told the Global Times.
The overseas response reflects a reversal of the traditional path for Chinese films seeking international audiences. Rather than being promoted abroad as a polished production built around Chinese culture or expensive visual effects, Niu Lai has traveled overseas largely because audiences found its roughness and absurdity impossible to ignore, he noted.
Its unexpected popularity overseas offers an unusual form of cultural export, driven not only by traditional film marketing but also by memes, curiosity and audiences' desire to experience the phenomenon for themselves, added Zhang. "Thanks to the strong conncted global online culture, such 'mission impossible' animation could become a global sensation and a reality."
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8月16日，骑手们在“网约配送员读书角”休息、看书。

B | 日报记者 孙也达摄8月16日9时30分，外卖骑手张鑫把电动车停在秦皇岛四季青商圈楼下，快步走进刚挂牌没几天的“网约配送员读书角”。“利用送单早高峰与午高峰之间的空隙，可以多读读书。

C | ”张鑫说。张鑫是一名大学一年级学生。这个暑假，他回到老家秦皇岛兼职做起外卖骑手。

D | “我有个心愿，就是休息时间能有地方看看书、给手机充充电。

E | 我把心愿写在心愿墙上，没想到这么快就实现了。”张鑫说。

F | 心愿墙是由海港区外卖行业党委在骑手驿站设置的一个沟通平台。骑手可以随时把微心愿贴在骑手驿站的墙上，工作人员定期收集，帮助骑手实现心愿。张鑫的心愿，也是很多骑手的共同期盼。海港区外卖行业党委书记杨杰介绍，了解到骑手的愿望后，海港区外卖行业党委与秦皇岛四季青集团开展联建，在商圈规划了专门空间，精心打造“网约配送员读书角”。走进读书角，环境洁净雅致。几排书架上，整齐码着5000多册图书，涵盖社会、文学等多个品类，可以满足多元阅读需求。阅览长桌上配备了多组充电插口，墙上贴着免费无线网络账号和密码，设施齐全又贴心。“读书角集阅览、休息、饮水、充电、上网五项功能于一体。”杨杰说，企业出场地，社会捐赠加上企业购买图书，为骑手们提供了一处可以随时停靠的“精神驿站”。读书角的设立，是海港区外卖行业党委服务理念的一次升级。“以前对骑手的关怀，大多是自上而下的，我们觉得他们需要什么就干什么。现在不一样了，我们依托心愿墙倾听骑手真实心声。骑手有需求，我们有行动，精准解决大家实际难题。”杨杰说。

G | 不止于读书角，越来越多骑手写下的微心愿正一个个实现。

H | 有骑手反映每年办理健康证体检排队麻烦、价格偏高，行业党委就联系秦皇岛中西医结合医院（港口医院）开通体检绿色通道，推行团购体检服务，把体检价格从150元降到了110元。“我们推行‘线上+线下’相结合的诉求收集形式，线上依托12315热线、微信群等渠道，随时收集骑手诉求，线下通过发放调查问卷、召开平台恳谈会等方式，倾听骑手心声。”杨杰说，自2023年5月以来，为骑手实现了200余个微心愿。（日报记者 孙也达）。

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Published on:03:40:17