China’s First AI-Generated Feature Opens to Lukewarm Box-Office Response
China’s first fully AI-generated feature film has opened in cinemas, but early ticket sales suggest that the technology alone has not persuaded many moviegoers to buy a ticket.
Titled Sanxingdui: Future Past, the science-fiction film began its nationwide theatrical release on October 23. More than 10,000 screenings were scheduled for opening day, according to ticketing platform Maoyan, but advance sales remained modest.
Early ticket sales lag
AFP reported that presale revenue stood at 80,000 yuan, or about $11,980, on Friday morning. Maoyan’s box-office forecast was below 150,000 yuan at that time. These were early estimates, rather than final opening-day figures.
Bona Film Group CEO Jiang Defu acknowledged the film’s lukewarm reception in an interview, while describing the release as a boundary-pushing first for the industry. A preview attendee quoted by AFP said she would not have paid to watch it, citing the film’s quality.
How AI was used to make the film
The production took more than two years and involved nearly 100 people, Bona said, with reported costs exceeding 10 million yuan. AFP reported that the film’s actors, voices and backgrounds were AI-generated.
The film’s premise links ancient Sanxingdui artifacts with a future threatened by artificial intelligence. In Yicai’s account, human creators directed the concept, story and artistic decisions, while AI tools were used to generate visuals, sound effects and other production elements.
China’s National Film Administration granted the film a public-screening permit. Caixin reported that it was classified as an animated feature because there is no separate regulatory category for AI-generated films.
A test of audience demand
The opening matters beyond one film: it tests whether audiences will pay for a feature made with extensive generative-AI production. AFP quoted an independent AI director who cautioned that viewers would not automatically buy tickets simply because a film was made with AI.
That leaves the film facing two tests at once: whether its story and presentation can engage moviegoers, and whether AI-assisted production can earn a place in conventional theatrical cinema. Early presales point to a cautious start, but final box-office performance will provide a clearer measure of audience interest.