A Chinese animated film made on a reported budget of around USD 200 has become one of the most unlikely box office success story of 2026. ‘Niu Lai’, also known as ‘The Bull Comes’ or ‘The Cow Is Coming’, has crossed the USD 4 million mark in China after initially struggling to attract audiences.The 86-minute ‘homemade’ animated film by a mother-and-son team in Dalian, that took over five years to make, has reportedly dethroned the horror hit ‘Obsession’ to become the ‘most profitable’ film of all time at the box office.Directed by Xin Yumeng and his mother, Sun Lifang, the film follows a newborn calf and his journey through themes of friendship, courage and survival.

‘Niu Lai’ becomes box office hit

Niu Lai was released in Chinese theatres on August 5 with little to no traditional marketing. It began its theatrical run on a rather poor note, with its first 10-day box office collection recording under an estimated USD 1,000, with fewer than 300 people reportedly buying tickets.However, the film’s fortunes changed dramatically after clips and audience reactions to its “disaster-level” animation began circulating on Chinese social media. Harsh criticism of the film’s visuals and awkward storytelling only helped boost business.As reported by various online portals and box office trackers, audiences began buying tickets ‘simply to experience the film’ for themselves, turning the box office disaster into a viral phenomenon, with word-of-mouth publicity driving audiences to theatres.

‘Niu Lai’ competes with Hollywood blockbusters

The turnaround has been so dramatic that ‘Niu Lai’ is now competing for audiences with big-budget Hollywood productions like ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey’. Reuters reported that the film had grossed the equivalent of more than USD 4 million by August 20 and was ranking immediately behind ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ in China’s daily box office rankings.Its success has reportedly prompted the film’s employees and fans to take the film’s marketing into their own hands and are allegedly ‘drawing posters’ to advertise screenings. Some audiences have embraced the film as an example of ‘handmade filmmaking’ in the age of AI.

‘Niu Lai’ now the most profitable film of all time

The film’s current box office haul is now roughly 20,000 times its reported budget. This has prompted buzz that the film is now the most profitable movie of all time, beating even the likes of famously low-budget films like ‘Paranormal Activity’ which grossed around USD 193 million against a reported production budget of approximately USD 15,000, while ‘The Blair Witch Project’ grossed about USD 248 million against its reported initial budget of USD 60,000.