China’s first fully artificial intelligence (AI)-generated feature film opened in cinemas yesterday in what promised to be a tough box-office test for the country’s booming tech industry as advance ticket sales lag.
More than 10,000 screenings of the sci-fi thriller Sanxingdui: Future Past were scheduled yesterday, according to ticketing platform Maoyan.
However, public reception has been less than enthusiastic.
A poster of artificial intelligence-made film Sanxingdui: Future Past is displayed at a cinema in Beijing yesterday.
Photo: EPA
Presale revenue as of yesterday morning was 80,000 yuan (US$11,992), while total box-office takings were forecast to remain below 150,000 yuan, only a fraction of the reported production cost, Maoyan said.
Ticket prices range from 20 to 90 yuan, bringing the number sold to a few thousand at most.
Bona Film Group CEO Jiang Defu (?德富) acknowledged the lukewarm reception, but said the film was pushing boundaries.
“We are the first to try it, the first to get a theatrical release permit and the first to be tested by the audience,” he said. “I think that is not easy at all.”
Nearly 100 people took more than two years to make the film, which cost more than 10 million yuan, Bona said. All the actors, their voices and the backdrops are AI-generated.
The film touches on the theme of humanity in a future shaped by AI.
However, that was not enough to convince Iris Yang, who attended a free preview screening of the film on Thursday for acquaintances of the production team and industry workers.
Yang said she would not have paid for a ticket, given the movie’s quality.
“If AI generation can match the theatrical experience of Avatar, I think I would be willing to pay for it,” she said, referring to the US franchise known for the quality of its animation.
AI-generated video has gained popularity in the world’s second-largest economy. On Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, AI-generated short dramas garnered more than 200 billion views last month alone.
Online, Chinese social media users also seemed unconvinced by the launch of AI movies in cinemas.
“If it’s free to watch on streaming platforms, it could become legendary. But paying to watch? People are not going to accept it at this stage,” a Weibo user wrote.
The rise of AI has sparked concern among film workers about the prospect of job losses.