A very bad film becomes a big hit

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2026/09/03

Difficulty: Elementary A2

PDF: A very bad film becomes a big hit

Vocabulary Match

low-quality •• made money
animated •• cartoon
possibly •• interested
memes •• badly made
curious •• funny internet images
earned •• perhaps

Vocabulary Answers

low-qualitybadly made
animatedcartoon
possiblyperhaps
memesfunny internet images
curiousinterested
earnedmade money

Article

A very low-quality animated film has become a surprise hit in China. Niu Lai is about a baby cow and a bird. Two people, possibly a mother and her son, spent five years making it.

At first, almost nobody watched the film. Then people online started saying how terrible it was. They made jokes and memes about its bad animation and strange story. Soon, many curious people wanted to see it for themselves.

Now, the film has earned millions of yuan at the box office. Some people say it is bad in every possible way - but that is exactly why people love it!

Quiz

  1. What is the name of the film?
  2. Who made the film?
  3. Why did people start watching the film?
  4. How much money did the film earn?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. Niu Lai
  2. Possibly a mother and her son
  3. Because people online said it was terrible
  4. Millions of yuan

Conversation

A:Can you believe people are watching our film?
B:I know! They love it because it's so bad!
A:And now it's making us rich!
B:Maybe we should make another one.
A:Yeah, a sequel to Niu Lai!
B:Let's call it "The Cow Is Coming Again!"

Discussion

  1. Would you like to see Niu Lai?
  2. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
  3. What is more important: a good story or good animation?
  4. What is the best animated film you've seen? What is the worst?

Source Material

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/17/niu-lai-derided-animated-film-challenges-blockbusters-at-chinese-box-office


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