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No-Trailer ‘Niu Lai’ Earns 33.06 Million Yuan

8/22/2026

23 4 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Xin Yumeng and Sun Lifang turned their film Niu Lai into a box-office hit.
The movie opened on Aug. 5, 2026 in 245 cinemas with no trailer and earned 7,159 yuan in its first nine days.
By late August, total gross hit 33.06 million yuan (~$4.8 million), second only to Spider-Man.

History

Historical Context

Zhang Yimou’s wuxia film Hero premiered on 24 October 2002, quickly topping China’s annual box office and later grossing $53.7 million in the United States after a delayed 2004 release. Its record-breaking performance demonstrated that unconventional distribution can drive massive returns, prompting modern players such as Alibaba Pictures to experiment with low-budget, trailer-free launches like the 2026 comedy Niu Lai.

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Story summary

Xin Yumeng and Sun Lifang turned their film Niu Lai into a box-office hit.
The movie opened on Aug. 5, 2026 in 245 cinemas with no trailer and earned 7,159 yuan in its first nine days.
By late August, total gross hit 33.06 million yuan (~$4.8 million), second only to Spider-Man.

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