EN
*Note: AI-generated image, not official movie image.
nationwide
the lowest animation film
record of the year
propelled daily screenings
from 16 to 2,322.
animation film box office
revenue of 2026
admissions, alongside
200+ licensed
merchandise items
launched
*Source：
Kazama (2026.08.21), "Reviewing the Viral Rise of Niu Lai: Who Was the Decisive Driver?", Tencent News风间（2026.08.21）
Market Intelligence (2026.08.21), "Niu Lai Box Office Tops 30 Million: How Much Does the Director Actually Earn?", Sina Finance
Kankan Times (2026.08.20), "Animated Film Niu Lai Breaks 30 Million at the Box Office; Jin Xixi Merchandise Takes the Market by Storm", China.com
Perry (2026.08.19), "Blockbuster Niu Lai Emerges as Dark Horse: Merchandise Surges in Popularity; Hilarious Coasters, Tissue Boxes, and Plush Charms at a Glance!", JUKSYPerry（2026.08.19）
Audiences buy tickets not to "appreciate" the film, but to "take part" in a collective carnival.
Extreme contrasts create the initial wave of public attention
"Imperfections" such as crude 3D modeling, clipping glitches, and misaligned dubbing became prime fodder for screenshots, mocking commentary, and viral sharing.
Cross-platform relay drives diffusion from niche circles to mainstream public discourse
Douyin and Xiaohongshu provide snackable video clips; Bilibili and Douban foster derivative content and reviews; Weibo Trending Topics aggregate nationwide attention.
Consumers buying the ticket is not just to watch the film but to "step into the event”
Cinema-going becomes social currency: I watched it, I get the meme, and I’m part of this nationwide spectacle.
Looking beyond Niu Lai: The consumer market is shifting from “Useful" to "Resonate"
While functionality remains essential, purchase decisions are increasingly driven by emotional value, self-identity, social participation, and subcultural belonging.
Young consumers are not merely making "impulse buys"; but paying for "immediate satisfying in the moment” when navigating stress, loneliness, social expression, and self-healing.
Source:Soul App × Shanghai Youth Research Center, 2025 Gen Z Emotional Consumption Report
Wang Yejie (2025.09.05), "Latest Shanghai Youth Study Youth Emotional Consumption Profiles", China Youth Daily
30.174 million interest-driven users｜12.358 million online purchasing users
Attention on domestic Chinese IP’s
*Source: Beijing Daily Client (2025.10.14), "The Booming Goods Economy! Market Scale Expected to Surpass RMB 240 Billion This Year"
Participation
Brands can no longer merely ask "Why should consumers buy my product?", but also ask "Why would consumers proudly weave my brand into their social lives?”.
Horizontal case study: Today’s consumption flashpoints rarely hinge on "selling products"; but on "selling symbols to participate"
Though the breakout of different categories appear disparate on the surface, their core mechanism is showing the same: transforming goods into emotional outlets, identity badges, and social content.
POP MART 2025 revenue; THE MONSTERS revenue 14.16 billion
The breakout trigger was not merely "better toys”, but rather blind boxes, photo sharing, queueing, reselling, and unboxing, which collectively constructed a displayable identity and subcultural participation.
*Source: Zhao Shuping (2026.03.25), "POP MART Plush Category Pulls in RMB 18.71 Billion in 2025", Beijing Business Today
Projected market scale in 2025; 12.358 million online purchasing users
Low-price merchandise—badges, acrylic stands, collectible cards, and bag charms—allows consumers to continuously express "Who I am and where I belong" through frequent, small-amount transactions.
*Source: Beijing Daily Client (2025.10.14), "The Booming Goods Economy! Market Scale Expected to Surpass RMB 240 Billion This Year"
YoY surge in ‘concert’ related posts in Q2 2025
Audiences pay not just for stage performance, but for the on-site vibe, check-ins, fan-support activities, photo recaps, and storytelling in Moments (Pengyouquan).
*Source: Soul App × Shanghai Youth Research Center, 2025 Gen Z Emotional Consumption Report
YoY increase in posts related to "AI Companions"; searching volume exploded by 225,056-fold
When the cost of building real-world relationship climbs, low-barrier, instant response, and customizable digital companion devises emerge as a novel frontier for emotional consumption.
*Source: Lu Zihua (2025.09.12), "Growing Lonelier with Age, Thus Paying for Emotional Value? Release of the 2025 Gen Z Emotional Consumption Report", Shanghai Observer
Brand takeaway: Pivot from "Selling-point design" to "Engagement interface design"
Provide consumers with something to showcase, some words to say, some circle to enter, and some meme to get; to make it easier for the product to shift from purchase to self-propelling virality.