China’s first fully AI-generated feature film to reach cinemas has had a rough debut. Sanxingdui: Future Past, produced by Bona Film Group, brought in an estimated $180,000 through Monday, according to ticketing platform Maoyan.
The film reportedly cost $1.5 million to make, according to AFP. Audiences, it turns out, did not line up to watch a movie about AI enslaving humanity that was itself made by AI.
The numbers behind the flop
The sci-fi thriller follows an archaeologist tasked with saving a future world that AI has enslaved, according to Chinese state media. It premiered in cinemas on October 23.
By October 26-27, cumulative ticket sales had reached about 1.21 million yuan, or around $181,000. The production budget exceeded 10 million yuan, which works out to approximately $1.5 million.
Distribution was not the problem. The film had more than 10,000 screenings scheduled on its opening day.
Attendance was the problem. Reports indicated an average of just two viewers per screening, with occupancy rates falling to 0.1%.
The warning signs arrived early. Presale figures came in under 80,000 to 100,000 yuan, which suggested limited audience appetite before the film even opened.
Viewers who did show up cited two main complaints: low quality and high ticket prices. Tickets ranged from 20 to 90 yuan.
How the film was made
Bona did not treat this as a weekend side project. The company spent more than two years on the film, with nearly 100 staff members involved.
The team generated more than 1.2 million images using AI tools. Human experts kept creative control over the narrative and artistic direction.
The film also cleared a regulatory milestone. It became the first fully AI-generated film to receive a public screening permit in China, and the National Film Administration classified it as animation.
The story also draws on China’s ancient Sanxingdui archaeological site, giving it a cultural hook alongside its tech pitch. Bona CEO Jiang Defu positioned the production as a pioneering step for AI in cinema.
Microdramas versus the big screen
The flop stands out because AI-generated content has been doing well elsewhere in China. Short-form AI content, including microdramas, has found audiences on social media platforms.
That gap shows up inside Bona’s own business. The company’s AI-related revenue remains a small fraction, about 0.42%, of total revenue, even though its short-form AI content carries strong margins.
What this means for Bona and AI filmmaking
The most immediate fallout is for Bona’s investors. The company’s stock reportedly declined following the film’s release.
For shareholders, the question is less about one film and more about strategy. If AI production is supposed to lower costs and open new revenue streams, a project that cost more than 10 million yuan and returned about 1.21 million yuan in ticket sales undercuts that pitch, at least for theatrical releases.
The complaints viewers raised point to where the real hurdle sits. Low quality and high prices are fixable in theory, but both pull in opposite directions. Lowering prices erodes revenue, while raising quality likely requires more time, more staff, or better tools.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Diego Almada Lopez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.