The Niu Lai Chinese movie box office total rose sharply after an unusual reaction from online viewers. The Associated Press reported that the animated film earned roughly 10,000 yuan in its first 10 days after its Aug. 5 release, with some days bringing in only about 200 yuan. The pattern changed after viewers began sharing mocking comments about the movie.

AP said the film then collected 8.2 million yuan on a Monday and reached nearly 300,000 admissions that day. Its total rose to 17.1 million yuan, according to figures attributed to Maoyan. The increase made the low-budget animation a subject of discussion even though the reported figures remained far below those of China’s major blockbusters.

The film is about a calf, and online discussion focused on the roughness of its animation and the circumstances surrounding its release. Some viewers appeared to watch after seeing negative or humorous comments, turning criticism into attention. That response is different from a conventional box-office campaign in which positive reviews and advertising drive audiences.

Maoyan is the box-office data source cited in the AP report. Its public rankings provide a way to track totals, but a single day’s surge does not establish a lasting theatrical run. The available reports also do not provide a final revenue forecast or confirm that the title will maintain the same pace.

AP said it could not independently verify claims about the film’s two-person production. Those claims are therefore not presented as established fact here. The confirmed story is the sharp change in reported receipts and admissions after online viewers began discussing the film’s rough animation and urging others to see it.