A poorly produced domestic animated film has unexpectedly gained popularity. Recently, the movie Bull Run, created by director Xin Yumeng and her mother Sun Lifang, has drawn widespread online attention for its crude production, leading to a surge in daily box office revenue and repeated appearances on major trending lists.
As of 14:22 today, Bull Run's daily box office has surpassed 3.312 million yuan, a staggering increase of over 17,617 times compared to its fourth day of release on August 8, when it earned just 188 yuan. This makes it the most surreal example of a "bad film making a comeback" in the 2026 summer movie season. Many netizens have strongly criticized the film's sudden popularity, labeling it as "a feast of public ugliness" and arguing that "low-quality special effects insult the audience's intelligence." However, a significant number of stock investors believe the film is tailored for them—"Bull Run" symbolizes a bullish market, teaching investors a crucial lesson: never blindly enter the market out of curiosity.
Box Office Skyrockets 17,617 Times, Yet Accused of "Poster Fraud"
According to the film's release synopsis, Bull Run tells the story of a newborn calf that lulls a cloudbird from the desert into a dream, where the bird witnesses the calf grow into a courageous warrior who faces life and death. Before its release, the film's production company, Dalian Jingyuan Culture Film Media Co., Ltd., unveiled a beautiful ink-wash style poster with a philosophical tagline: "Life can be pre-lived, in dreams." However, the actual content fell far short of this poetic promise. After watching, many viewers posted warnings, urging others not to be fooled by the poster. Footage from screenings shows that Bull Run uses cheap 3D technology, with choppy animation, frequent model glitches, a hollow plot, and preachy dialogue, far from a "complete work." Some netizens described the experience as "sitting on pins and needles," with seconds feeling like hours, finally fulfilling their urge to give a film a "half-star rating." Others felt "like slapping themselves" or "as regretful as Xianglin Sao."
Despite the negative reviews, many viewers have been driven by curiosity to buy tickets, satisfying their urge to see the film's oddity. As of 14:22 today, Bull Run's daily box office has reached 3.312 million yuan, a 17,617-fold increase from its lowest daily total of 188 yuan. According to predictions from Lighthouse Professional Edition, the film's box office could exceed 6.71 million yuan after 56 days of release. Online, most netizens express skepticism about the film's sudden fame. A sample of 241 comments extracted by Weibo's Robert from user discussions shows that 51% of viewers cited curiosity or herd mentality as their motivation for watching, viewing the phenomenon as a "public ugliness carnival" and adopting a detached or mocking stance toward the box office surge. 28% criticized the film's poor special effects and low quality, calling it an insult to audience intelligence and a symptom of industry disorder. Only 21% of users found the film, despite its roughness, capable of providing pure joy, acknowledging its emotional value and entertainment effect.
Retail Investor's Revelation: Don't Enter the Market Blindly Out of Curiosity
The unexpected rise of Bull Run has also sparked positive reflections among film and stock market enthusiasts. Peng Xiang, director of System: The Queen's Training and founder of Fake Planet, observed that while Bull Run is a unique case, it highlights a trend of significantly lowered creative barriers, allowing ordinary people to complete a full-length film independently. He noted that theoretically, individual works can qualify for theatrical release, though they often lack visibility and profitability, making it hard to secure screenings. However, Bull Run's alternative online success has achieved its goal through unconventional means.
In contrast to the film industry's reflections, stock market investors have attached deeper symbolic meaning. After Bull Run went viral, many retail investors remarked that while everyone mocks its roughness, the film's core spirit is a metaphor for their three decades of experience. The title "Bull Run" is a homophone for a bullish market, symbolizing investors' dreams of a market rally. Some have even derived a "retail investor's revelation" from the film. For example, the beautiful ink-wash style poster mirrors the overly optimistic research reports and financial statements that promise great results, while actual performance and stock price charts fluctuate. The father cow's line to the calf, "A fat cow that doesn't run fast will be eaten," suggests that profits (fatness) combined with greed (slowness) lead to losses when faced with wolves (market risks). A stock market investor commented that Bull Run teaches us a key lesson: never blindly enter the market out of curiosity.
Director Speaks Out: Is Bull Run About to End Its Run?
Notably, the ongoing controversy surrounding Bull Run is affecting the film's fate. According to the latest sources, some cinemas have issued notices to stop screening the film nationwide from August 17, 2026. In response, director Xin Yumeng publicly stated, "Thank you for your concern. Bull Run's theatrical phase has officially ended. This was a complete creative practice, receiving both praise and criticism, and we take all feedback seriously." However, when asked if the film will indeed be removed from cinemas on the 17th, the relevant distribution company had no response by the time of reporting. Some theater staff, where tickets are still available, reported that they have not received any notice to stop screenings, and viewers can still purchase tickets normally.
Amidst the mixed reception, Bull Run's unexpected viral success reveals the diversity of audience interests and entertainment preferences. In the era of rapidly advancing AI video generation technology, perhaps more creators can achieve viral success comparable to Bull Run without spending five years hand-crafting an animated film.