The new sensation among some Chinese moviegoers is an animated film whose characters appear to have been created with rudimentary 3D animation and have been described as “ugly” and “eerie.”
\n\nBut it is the scathing online reviews that seem to have prompted interest in “Niu Lai,” an animated film about a calf who had a dream about himself growing up with the help of his family, driving a surprising surge at the box office.
\n\nThe film earned only about 10,000 yuan ($1,480) at the box office in the first 10 days after its Aug. 5 release. On some days, the film took in as little as 200 yuan ($30) at the box office, according to Maoyan, a movie-tracking platform. The figure was exceptionally low, particularly during the competitive summer movie season.
\n\nBut its box office surged to 8.2 million yuan ($1.2 million) Monday, with nearly 300,000 admissions, according to Maoyan. Its total box office has reached 17.1 million yuan ($2.5 million).
\n\nRed Star News, a local news website in Chengdu, reported that the film was made over five years by just two people — director Xin Yumeng and his mother, Sun Lifan. The Associated Press was unable to reach Xin…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business