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Chinese 'worst' movie 'Niu Lai' becomes a unlikely global hit, surpassing 40 million yuan at box office_我的网站

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A | 汇去中国的钱遭冻结，受害者的努力屡受冷漠与推诿，导致事态恶化8月25日下午3时左右，数十名汇款受害者齐聚在珍珠坊二楼的汉生与长诚汇款公司门前，要求赔偿与退款。

Photo: Screenshot from website
Chinese animated film Niu Lai, initially mocked online for its "worest" production, has become an unlikely box-office and internet sensation in China and abroad, spawning memes, merchandise and growing interest from global audiences.
Niu Lai crossed 40 million yuan ($5.95 million) in box-office receipts late Saturday, according to Lighthouse, a Chinese ticketing and box-office platform. Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey currently ranks sixth among this summer's top-grossing films in China, with box-office receipts reaching 457 million yuan.
The film opened in Chinese theaters August 5 and grossed just 342 yuan on its opening day. Its box office totaled around 7,700 yuan over its first 10 days before screenings and ticket sales surged beginning August 14, fueled by widespread online ridicule and curiosity about the film's notoriously rough animation.
It was made over five years by a mother-and-son team, with its crude animation, stiff character movements and unusual plot becoming the main source of its popularity.
It has since become a broader online phenomenon in China. Merchants have begun selling plush toys modeled on its characters, while fans have created memes, posters and other unofficial merchandise. Moviegoers have even placed homemade posters in theaters, although the production company has not released an official poster.
On Douyin, China's version of TikTok, users have produced numerous clips and other fan-made content based on the film. Multiple official Chinese accounts on the platform have also joined the trend, while some users have used AI tools to create new variations of the meme.
Police in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui Province, used an image from the film in a traffic-safety notice posted on its Douyin account.
Interest has also emerged in Hong Kong, where users on social media have been discussing the film's surprise box-office success and calling for its release in local theaters. Some users tagged Broadway Cinematheque, a Hong Kong independent cinema, asking when it would screen the film. The cinema's official account replied "in talks," prompting excitement among Hong Kong moviegoers.
The cinema later said it had received a number of requests from audiences but that no screening plans had been finalized, local media reported.
The phenomenon has also crossed China's borders.
The Financial Times and other international media outlets have reported on the film, with some comparing its unlikely rise to cult movies such as The Room, which became famous in part because audiences embraced its flaws.
The movie's growing popularity has also moved beyond social media.
In San Francisco, two independently organized screenings of Niu Lai sold out, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The screenings were held at a time when the film had yet to secure a broad official overseas release.
The film is now attracting interest from overseas distributors, with Singapore film distributors considering bringing Niu Lai to local theaters, according to Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao.
The Niu Lai meme has also been picked up by organizations outside China, showing how the film's imagery has begun to take on a life beyond the movie itself.
In Malaysia, a blood donation center in Johor Bahru used the story of Niu Lai in a humorous and inspirational social media message encouraging people to donate blood, according to Lianhe Zaobao.
The official TikTok account of Dutch railway operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen also joined the trend, using the Niu Lai meme in one of its posts.
Such uses suggest that Niu Lai is evolving beyond a film-related meme into a broader piece of internet culture, with institutions and brands using its recognizable imagery to connect with audiences, Zhang Peng, a cultural researcher and associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, told the Global Times.
The overseas response reflects a reversal of the traditional path for Chinese films seeking international audiences. Rather than being promoted abroad as a polished production built around Chinese culture or expensive visual effects, Niu Lai has traveled overseas largely because audiences found its roughness and absurdity impossible to ignore, he noted.
Its unexpected popularity overseas offers an unusual form of cultural export, driven not only by traditional film marketing but also by memes, curiosity and audiences' desire to experience the phenomenon for themselves, added Zhang. "Thanks to the strong conncted global online culture, such 'mission impossible' animation could become a global sensation and a reality."
。对此，长诚和汉生汇款公司分别给出了不同的回应。长诚要求提供大量公证文件，而汉生则建议受害者直接寻求中国大使馆的帮助。

B | 这一复杂的处理过程让受害者更加无所适从。受害者们表示，他们之前已按汇款公司要求提供了相关的公安证明，希望能够顺利退款。

C | 但汇款公司不仅拖延时间，还故作无辜地推卸责任，无法退款。特别是汉生汇款公司的一名职员更是态度恶劣，直接宣称“要告就告”，增强了现场人的不满情绪。汇款到中国遭冻结已不是第一次发生了。“我不懂英文，不懂银行汇款，在新加坡打工的血汗钱回国半年后才发现被冻结！”许多在新加坡工作的中国公民通过山立汇款公司把血汗钱汇回中国，却遭中国当局指汇款过程中涉及犯罪行为，导致相关中国银行账户被冻结。类似事件屡次发生导致新加坡有关当局宣布：从2024年1月1日起，新加坡本地所有跨境汇款公司帮客户汇款到中国时，不能通过第三方代理，只能通过银行或银联卡等汇款管道。之前的旧事件还没完全了结，新的又来了，这次，还闹到警方都得到现场调解。其中一位52岁妇女还因无法接受这样的处理，情绪过度激动，最终因心脏病发作被送入医院。医生诊断她因过度激动导致心律失常和高血压，需要留院观察。（图：Changi General Hospital）许多受害者都是近几年在新加坡赚取的辛苦血汗钱，原本打算将储蓄寄回国内以维持家用或还债，结果却遇到账户冻结或资金被全数划扣的情况，自然会不知所措、焦急万分，想讨回公道。这些情绪完全可以理解。但大家要记得的是，“闹”在新加坡是无法起到有效作用的，只会引来警方的介入管控。如果你也遇到类似情况，可以参考以下行动建议，尽可能保护自己的权益。如何最大保护自己的权益寻求相关部门的帮助：首先，应立即联系汇款公司的客户服务部门，了解冻结原因及具体情况。同时，受害者可以向新加坡消费者协会（CASE）或金融监管机构如新加坡金融管理局（MAS）进行投诉，寻求相关帮助。这些机构可以提供有关纠纷解决的指导，并有可能对汇款公司施压，促使积极处理问题。收集证据：在沟通的过程中，请保存好所有与汇款公司交流的记录，包括电子邮件、聊天记录和通话录音等。