China's First AI Film Flops in Theaters

China’s first fully AI-generated feature film, “Sanxingdui: Future Past,” has had a weak start in theaters. It opened over the weekend and made RMB1.21 million, or about $181,000, according to producer Bona Film Group.

Bona said the movie cost about 10 million yuan, or roughly $1.5 million, and was made over two years by a team of 70 to 80 people. The company said the film kept getting adjusted right up until a week before its release.

The movie had already found success as an AI microdrama series online, where it drew nearly 200 million views. But in theaters, viewers appeared less impressed. One attendee told AFP that AI still falls short of a human-made live-action film, and said few people would pay for it yet.

Bona has already started work on another AI-generated feature, and a similar test is coming soon in the U.S. from YouTuber and AI creator Gossip Goblin. His film, “Gods Don’t Give Gifts,” is set for a December theatrical release and will launch international sales next month.