Tanzania, Aug. 19 -- Chinese animated film Niulai has become an unlikely box-office sensation after its crude and eerie-looking 3D animation was widely mocked online.

Released on August 5, the film tells the story of a calf dreaming of growing up with the support of its family. But its journey to the big screen got off to a painfully slow start, earning only about 10,000 yuan (approximately Sh3.85 million, or $1,480) in its first 10 days.

Then came the memes.

As scathing reviews and jokes about the film's unusual visuals spread across Chinese social media, curiosity took over. According to movie-tracking platform Maoyan, Niulai pulled in 8.2 million yuan (about Sh3.12 billion, or $1.2 million) in a single day from nearly 300,000 admiss...