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Niu Lai Withdrawn From Cinemas After Hype Bubble

8/16/2026

34 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Director Xin Yumeng and writer Sun Lifang announced on August 16 that Niu Lai would be withdrawn from cinemas on August 17.
A social-media surge lifted the film’s box office from 7,169 yuan to 5.26 million yuan.
Opening-day earnings totaled just over 3,400 yuan and attracted fewer than 300 viewers.
By August 14 the film’s screenings shrank from 245 theaters to four, prompting Zhang Peng to warn that curiosity-driven hype creates a bubble.

History

Historical Context

After the PRC built a government-run film system, the 1993 ban of Zhang Yuan’s The Blue Kite—pulled from Shanghai theatres after two weeks and censored for its depiction of early Communist history—illustrated the era’s strict SARFT review process. In August 2023, the low-budget drama Niu Lai, whose box office jumped from 7,169 yuan to 5.26 million yuan, was withdrawn, prompting calls for clearer screening rules.

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Story summary

Director Xin Yumeng and writer Sun Lifang announced on August 16 that Niu Lai would be withdrawn from cinemas on August 17.
A social-media surge lifted the film’s box office from 7,169 yuan to 5.26 million yuan.
Opening-day earnings totaled just over 3,400 yuan and attracted fewer than 300 viewers.
By August 14 the film’s screenings shrank from 245 theaters to four, prompting Zhang Peng to warn that curiosity-driven hype creates a bubble.

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