The Niu Lai Chinese movie box office story has entered a new phase. What began as a low-budget animated release with limited attention has become a commercial curiosity, but the film’s sudden rise is now being discussed alongside a question about how cinemas should respond when online mockery turns into real ticket demand.

Yicai reported on August 18 that Niu Lai had earned more than 10 million yuan, or about $1.5 million, by the previous day after its August 5 release. The report said the final gross was projected to approach 89 million yuan. It also described the production as a five-year project made largely by director Xin Yumeng and his mother, Sun Lifang, who worked across directing, writing, voice work and production.

The film’s unusual production history is part of its appeal. Yicai said the 3D animation was not made through one-click artificial-intelligence image generation, despite viewers comparing its rough visuals with much older animation styles. The distributor initially advised against releasing the finished film, but the filmmakers insisted on bringing it to cinemas.

That decision looked very different once short videos began circulating. Yicai reported that the daily box office rose from only several thousand yuan to 876,000 yuan on August 15, while nationwide screenings passed 2,000. The numbers show how a film can move from near invisibility to a national conversation when clips, jokes and curiosity push audiences toward a theatrical release.

GamesRadar reported on August 20 that the film had passed $4 million at the Chinese box office and that cinemas in some regions had withdrawn it over concerns that showing the movie could damage their reputation. The two reports use different cut-off dates and currency conversions, so the totals should not be presented as a single same-day figure. Together, they show a rapid rise followed by a dispute over exhibition.

That dispute gives Niu Lai a different significance from a routine viral hit. A cinema must balance audience demand with programming standards, while viewers are deciding whether they are buying a conventional animated film or participating in an internet phenomenon. The director has acknowledged both praise and criticism, according to GamesRadar. As the run continues, the box office will show whether curiosity can sustain screenings after the joke has moved beyond social media.