Why Chinese film-goers are flocking to a movie they hate

This past week, another unlikely film went viral in Chinese cinemas. On its August 5 debut, the animated film Niu Lai, or The Arrival of the Ox, only earned 3,420 yuan (US$507) at the box office. About 10 days later, it suddenly saw a spike in viewers and generated six figures of revenue. On Saturday, its box office climbed to 717,000 yuan and reached more than 11 million yuan on Monday. Its accumulated earnings placed it in the top 10 of China’s domestic animated film box office charts for…