Why Chinese film-goers are flocking to a movie they hate

In recent times, a surprisingly bad Chinese animated film called Niu Lai, or The Arrival of the Ox, has become a viral sensation among moviegoers. On its debut, the film earned only 3,420 yuan (US$507) at the box office. However, after 10 days, its popularity surged, generating over six figures in revenue. On Monday, its box office climbed to over 11 million yuan, making it one of the top 10 animated films in China this year.

The cause of this sudden popularity is the film's poor quality, with critics describing its animation as "stiff and glitchy" and voice acting as "jarring". The oxen characters are depicted as colourful boxes with an almost humanlike smile.

The film was created by director and self-taught filmmaker Xin Yumeng and his mother Sun Lifang who worked tirelessly for five years to create the 86-minute film frame by frame, without a professional crew or outsourcing any tasks. The duo took advantage of memes and online buzz to their advantage, and within a day, the film's screenings across the country increased from 21 to 359.

Many people in the film industry felt envious, as Niu Lai surpassed Liu Bing's latest film in box office revenue within a single day. Despite the criticism, Niu Lai's popularity reflects widespread discontent with mediocre films. Some people view it as a form of "hate-watching" - they go to see poorly made films just to experience how bad they can get.

While this phenomenon may not do any real damage to the Chinese film industry, it highlights a problem of producing films that fail to resonate with the public. Examples like Dear You and Enemy, made by small teams with limited budgets and resources, have proven that honest work can still be successful. The Niu Lai phenomenon will likely pass without significant harm to the industry, but opportunists should be discouraged from following its lead and trying to make quick cash instead of putting in the effort to create a good film.