AI Filmmaking

What China’s First AI Feature Flop Says About the “Cheaper Movies” Pitch

China’s first fully AI feature took two years, nearly 100 people and about $1.5 million to make. It’s earned $181,000. Here’s what that says about AI’s cost pitch.

Sanxingdui: Future Past, billed as China’s first fully AI-generated theatrical feature, opened October 23 to a weak box office. According to Cartoon Brew, the film has earned about RMB 1.21 million (roughly $181,000) against a reported budget of more than RMB 10 million (about $1.5 million).

The film opened with more than 10,000 screenings scheduled for its first day. Producer Bona Film Group says nearly 100 people worked on it for over two years.

What Happened at the Box Office

The film’s opening was small relative to its release. Per Maoyan data reported by BigGo Finance, it took about 1% of the box office in its first two days while holding about 3% of screenings.

That gap points to empty seats. Futurism calculated that the film has earned less than $20 per screen so far, and the budget looks unlikely to be recouped.

How the Film Was Made

Sanxingdui: Future Past is a 100-minute sci-fi animated feature built on Sanxingdui, the Bronze Age archaeological site in Sichuan. Its characters, visuals and voices were generated with AI.

Chinese coverage credits Shengshu Technology’s Vidu as the film’s chief technical support. The team reportedly generated more than 1.2 million images and ran more than 100 full iterations of the film before release.

Bona CEO Jiang Defu, speaking to the industry outlet Yuli via AFP, framed the release as a test. “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.

The “Cheaper Movies” Pitch Meets Reality

A big part of AI video’s appeal to studios is cost: fewer crews, fewer sets, faster output. Jiang has said he hopes the technology can help Chinese blockbusters cut costs and raise output.

Sanxingdui complicates that pitch. Two years, nearly 100 people and about $1.5 million is cheap for a theatrical animated feature, but it isn’t a shortcut. The film still needed a large team, a long schedule and repeated rebuilds to reach a release.

The result also suggests that “made with AI” isn’t a draw on its own. Reports from Chinese audiences pointed to stiff character motion, an obvious “AI feel” and a formulaic story, the same complaints that follow most AI video.

Competitive Context

The film arrives as AI-generated series and features are testing distribution beyond social platforms. The AI-made series Kira recently drew attention at MIPCOM, covered in Ex Machina’s Kira Brings an AI Series to MIPCOM.

The comparison many outlets have drawn is Niu Lai, a Chinese animated film made by a mother and son for about $200. According to Futurism, it grossed nearly $10 million after viral clips spread online, a reminder that a low budget and an audience connection are different things.

The Signal in the Noise

One flop doesn’t settle whether AI filmmaking works. It does show that AI tools don’t remove the hard parts of making a feature: story, performance and the time it takes to get them right.

For studios and investors, Sanxingdui is an early data point that AI can lower some costs without lowering the risk. For filmmakers wary of AI replacing crews, it’s a sign that audiences still notice, and care, how a film was made.

Would you pay for a ticket to a fully AI-generated feature? Share where you draw the line in the comments.

The Details

Film: Sanxingdui: Future Past
Producer: Bona Film Group
Release: October 23, 2026 (China)
Runtime: 100 minutes
Box office: About RMB 1.21 million (roughly $181,000), per Cartoon Brew
Reported budget: More than RMB 10 million (about $1.5 million), per Bona
Production: Nearly 100 people over two years
AI technology: Vidu (Shengshu Technology) credited as chief technical support