Viral memes send 'Niu Lai' from ¥7,700 to ¥5.6 million
Niu Lai (The Arrival of the Ox) just flipped the script on what makes a movie popular.
Written off at first for its rough animation and odd voice acting, this Chinese animated film earned barely 7,700 yuan in its first 10 days, but thanks to viral memes and online buzz, it suddenly pulled in 5.6 million yuan in just one day.
Created by director Xin, writer Sun
The story follows a calf and skylark as they take on love and challenges together, quirky style included.
Some viewers actually chose Niu Lai over big-budget Hollywood movies like Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Even cooler: the whole thing was made by just two people, director Xin Yumeng and writer Sun Lifang, with the production company behind the film having previously operated as an interior decoration business before entering the film industry!