Based on Maoyan data, the domestic animated film “The Arrival of the Cow” released on August 5th during the summer season has only accumulated a box office of 7711 yuan (RMB) in the past 10 days, with a total viewership of over 200 people. The daily viewership is less than 30 people, setting a new record low for animated films in theaters in 2026.
“The Arrival of the Cow,” produced by Dalian Jingyuan Cultural Film and Television Media Co., Ltd., with a running time of 86 minutes, tells the story of a small cow named “Cow Arrival” who meets a sparrow in the grassland and brings it into its dream. In the dream, the sparrow witnesses the brave cow facing dangers and ultimately growing into a warrior.
On August 14th, discussions related to “The Arrival of the Cow” surged on hot search topics. Many moviegoers who bought tickets took to various online platforms to criticize the film, citing its disastrous animation quality, extremely rough 3D modeling, stiff and choppy character movements, uninspiring lines, and even serious bugs like frequent occurrence of “clipping” in the visuals. People questioned how it managed to qualify for release.
According to a report by Xi’an Evening News on August 15th, currently “The Arrival of the Cow” is only screened in one cinema each in Wuhan and Beijing, and there is only one showtime.
In response, staff from Wuhan China Film Laser Cinema (Wuhan Wuchang Station Wanjing Square branch) stated that currently, there is only one screening scheduled for Sundays in the whole of Wuhan. The scheduling of films in the cinema is based on the film’s popularity, and whether additional screenings will be added in the future will depend on company notifications.
Public information reveals that the director of “The Arrival of the Cow” is Xin Yumeng, who also serves as the producer, voice actor, and deeply involved in the writing process, almost single-handedly overseeing multiple core production aspects such as directing, writing, voice acting, and production. The scriptwriter is Sun Lifen, and these two individuals are the core creatives behind the film.
Of note, according to the enterprise investigation app, the predecessor of the production company was actually a company specializing in indoor and outdoor decoration projects called “Dalian Jingyuan Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd.” It wasn’t until July 2021 that it renamed and transitioned into the film and television industry, with a registered capital of 100,000 yuan. The annual report indicates that only one person is insured, with Xin Yumeng as the legal representative and Sun Lifen as the financial officer.