What happens when an animated movie is made on a budget of just 50,000 Chinese yuan (roughly 7,000 US dollars), takes five years to complete, and is produced by only two people?
This is the incredible true story behind Niu Lai. The entire film is hand-drawn and self-produced by a young independent creator and his mother. They are the whole production crew, and surprisingly, his mother also sang the movie’s ending theme song all by herself.
The film’s release started off incredibly poorly. On its opening day, it only grossed 342 Chinese yuan, which is around 48 US dollars. In the first nine days after its release, the total box office barely reached 7,359 Chinese yuan, equivalent to roughly 1,025 US dollars.
Niu Lai features unrefined animation, simplistic visuals, and a bizarre, offbeat storyline. Its extremely amateur production quality made it look like one of the crudest animated films many viewers had ever seen.
However, the film experienced an unbelievable viral turnaround. Just five days after its sluggish early performance, its box office skyrocketed drastically, soaring to 17 million Chinese yuan, or approximately 2.36 million US dollars.
This low-budget, two-person passion project defied all expectations and turned into a phenomenal box office hit in China. It proves that blockbuster-level budgets, professional animation technology, and large production teams are never the only key to a successful film. Sometimes, a work’s unique, clumsy and unpolished charm is exactly what makes it stand out and impress countless audiences.
Thanks for watching.
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Дата на публикация: 24 август, 2026
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