From 236 tickets to the top ten.
-
Two people. A mother and her son. Director Xin Yumeng and writer Sun Lifang. They also voiced every character.
-
Five years of production. Budget: a few thousand renminbi. The studio used to be an interior design company.
-
Marketing: one ink-wash poster. No trailer, no interviews. Niu Lai opened on 5 August 2026 in 245 theaters.
-
236 tickets in nine days. By 14 August, four theaters in the whole country still showed it.
-
Then the internet saw the animation. Disaster-level graphics. People drove 30 km to witness history.
-
Total box office: ¥14.65 million. Top ten Chinese animated film of 2026. One of the highest returns on investment in Chinese film.
-
Then the calf from the van launched a coin.