China's first full-AI feature film draws weak sales
Projected revenue is under 100,000 yuan, far below production costs that topped 10 million yuan.
China's first feature-length film made entirely with artificial intelligence opened on Friday, but sales were sluggish. Sanxingdui: Future Past was set for more than 10,000 screenings, yet Maoyan data showed presales through Thursday night at just 65,000 yuan. The platform also projected total box office receipts for the science fiction film would not exceed 100,000 yuan. That compares with production costs of more than 10 million yuan. Bona Film Group said nearly 100 people worked on the film for more than two years. Bona Film Group CEO Jiang Defu acknowledged the reception had not been satisfying, while describing the project as an early experiment. Iris Yang, who attended a free preview, said she would not buy a ticket because the film's quality was not yet on par with mainstream cinema experiences.