Movie that went viral for terrible animation becomes China box office hit

Niu Lai, a low-budget animation film about a cow in a dream sequence has seen a huge jump in ticket sales after going viral for its confusing plot and terrible graphics.

It grossed just 7,705 yuan ($1,140; £843) in the first 10 days after its release, but has now made more than 11.4 million yuan, according to movie tracking site Mao Yan. That means it is holding ground against Hollywood blockbusters like The Odyssey and Spider Man: Brand New Day.

"You may regret for 80 minutes if you watch it, but if you don't, you'll regret it for life," one popular social media post about the film said.

Other social media users have hailed the movie as the antidote to the AI slop that is taking over social media algorithms.

They are sharing clips praising Niu Lai's "hand-crafted" method - a reference to the poor animation quality - as "proof" that its creators did not use AI.

Another social media user called it "pure handmade" and the biggest "dark horse" of the summer movie season.

Others say they are rooting for the movie because they desperately hope for a "bullish" stock market.

"If the index reaches 4,000 tomorrow I will go to the cinema to support this movie," one Weibo user wrote.