A low-budget Chinese animated film, Niu Lai, has become an unlikely box office sensation after being mocked online for its crude 3D animation, with viewers calling its characters "ugly" and "eerie." The mockery went viral, transforming what looked like a total flop into a mass audience draw, illustrating how online ridicule can sometimes fuel commercial success rather than sink a film.

Released on 5 August 2026, Niu Lai took in only around 10,000 yuan ($1,480) over its first ten days, with some days earning as little as 200 yuan ($30), according to Chinese tracker Maoyan. Once memes about the film spread, ticket sales exploded, with the movie earning 8.2 million yuan ($1.2 million) and nearly 300,000 tickets sold in a single Monday; its cumulative gross had reached 17.1 million yuan ($2.5 million) at the time of an Associated Press report, and has since climbed past $4 million.