China’s first widely released feature film made entirely with artificial intelligence has failed to attract a sizeable cinema audience, raising questions about the technology’s ability to draw paying viewers to full-length productions. Sci-fi thriller Sanxingdui: Future Past earned an estimated $198,000 after its release last week, a small return against its reported $1.5 million production budget.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film’s performance marks an early commercial test of AI-generated feature films in a major market. More than 10,000 screenings took place on its opening day, making it the first long-form AI film to receive a genuinely wide theatrical release with reported box-office figures in a major territory. Its early ticket sales reportedly amounted to only 12 per cent of its 10 million yuan budget.
Despite the disappointing result, Jiang Defu, chief executive of production company Bona Film Group, described the project as an important experiment. Speaking to Chinese film outlet Yuli, he said, “We are the first to try it, the first to get a theatrical release permit and the first to be tested by the audience. I think that is not easy at all.”
Audiences, however, have raised concerns about the film’s quality. One moviegoer told Yuli, “In terms of quality, compared with human production, it still falls short.”
The film’s performance does not necessarily signal the end of AI-driven cinema. In China, artificial intelligence has already become a major part of short online productions, known as microdramas. According to Fortune, 95 per cent of these productions are now AI-generated. A commercially successful AI-made feature film may still emerge as the technology develops.
Running for 100 minutes, Sanxingdui: Future Past takes inspiration from archaeological discoveries linked to the ancient Sanxingdui civilisation. Its story imagines a future in which a superintelligent AI spreads across the world and humanity hands control to algorithms, triggering a global crisis.
The film follows earlier AI-generated features that received limited theatrical releases in other countries. These include India’s 95-minute musical Love You, released in May 2025, and Malaysia’s Pirate Queen: Zheng Yi Sao, which arrived in cinemas in January.
The United States is also preparing for the limited theatrical release of its first AI-generated feature film. Titled Gods Don’t Give Gifts, the film is scheduled to open on 4 December. Distributor Fable will release the R-rated anthology, which brings together four science-fiction stories. YouTuber Gossip Goblin created the film.
The debate over AI filmmaking has also reached Hollywood. The source report notes that an AI-produced version of The Odyssey, associated with Elon Musk, was drawing negative reactions from US viewers as the Chinese film entered cinemas. While AI tools continue to expand across the industry, Sanxingdui: Future Past offers an early indication that technological novelty alone may not be enough to secure box-office success.
