机械师Chinese 'worst' movie 'Niu Lai' becomes a unlikely global hit, surpassing 40 million yuan at box office_我的网站
一 | 作为秦皇岛本地人，我从小在北戴河湿地边长大。2025年，当我在燕山大学组建“鸥鸣潮声”北戴河湿地候鸟守护志愿服务队再赴湿地，才真正听懂那潮声与鸥鸣背后的意义。  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." 。团队成立之初，10名骨干成员来自外国语、艺术、计算机等不同专业，大部分人甚至从未去过湿地。大家一度心生忐忑：我们能否做好护鸟与科普？可当我们真正走进滩涂、站上讲台，顾虑便烟消云散。舞蹈专业的同学模仿候鸟展翅，用肢体演绎生命之美；文学专业的伙伴吟诵“落霞与孤鹜齐飞”，以诗意传递生态理念。团队第一次实地调研，我们在浅滩蹲守了一上午。白鹭振翅起飞的瞬间，只听见快门声声。亲眼见证了候鸟的灵动，我开始明白，守护不只是躬身坚守，更在于理念的传递。我们把湿地变成“移动大课堂”，走进校园、社区，把护鸟理念种进更多人心田。在秦皇岛市第一中学，我们铺开候鸟迁徙路线图，让学生们手持鸟卡片模拟飞行。
二 | 当“湿地被破坏”的提示出现，一个女孩着急地问：“那鸟儿没有家了怎么办？”同学们纷纷举手献策：“少用塑料袋”“不乱扔垃圾”“设立警示牌”……一颗颗生态保护的种子，在青少年心中悄然生根。为让护鸟宣传更鲜活、更走心，我们不断创新科普形式。团队打造原创舞台剧《潮声》，讲述志愿者的真实坚守；设计湿地候鸟IP形象，用美育浸润科普；研发“羽之路·北戴河”候鸟飞行棋，让生态知识在游戏中入脑入心。如今，我们与鸟类博物馆、救助站建立长期合作，常态化开展“净滩护飞”活动。团队也从最初10人，到每次活动都有二三十名志愿者报名。有人问：“项目结束了，你们还会继续吗？”我认为，志愿精神就像接力棒，从一个人传到一群人，从校园传到社会。
三 | 湿地边的青春接力，将一直持续。（作者：董秦，燕山大学“鸥鸣潮声”北戴河湿地候鸟守护志愿服务队负责人）。 Current article:http://www.jiaopeikongbenlo.pics/news/20260826_1036953.pptx Published on:16:09:12 |
