China's first AI film hits cinemas but ticket sales lag

BEIJING: China's first fully AI-generated feature film opens in cinemas on Friday (Oct 23), in what promises to be a tough box-office test for the country's booming tech industry as advance ticket sales lag.

More than 10,000 screenings of Sanxingdui: Future Past, a sci-fi thriller, are scheduled for Friday, according to ticketing platform Maoyan.

However, public reception has been less than enthusiastic.

Presale revenue as of Thursday evening stood at 65,000 yuan (US$9,700), while total box-office takings were forecast to remain below 100,000 yuan, only a fraction of the reported production cost, according to Maoyan.

Jiang Defu, CEO of the production company Bona Film Group, acknowledged the lukewarm reception in a recent interview, but said the film was pushing boundaries.

"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 told Chinese film industry outlet Yuli.

"I think that is not easy at all."

Nearly 100 people took more than two years to make the film, which cost more than 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million), Bona said.

But that was not enough to convince Iris Yang, who attended a free preview screening of the film on Thursday and said she would not have paid for a ticket, given the movie's quality.

"If AI generation can match the theatrical experience of Avatar, I think I would be willing to pay for it," Yang said, referring to the US franchise known for the quality of its animation.

AI-generated video has gained popularity in the world's second-largest economy. On Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, AI-generated short dramas garnered more than 200 billion views in September alone.

But "the audience won't automatically pay for the tickets just because it's an AI-generated film", independent AI director Zhang Jun told AFP.

Online, Chinese social media users also seemed unconvinced by the launch of AI movies in cinemas.

"If it's free to watch on streaming platforms, it could become legendary. But paying to watch? People are not going to accept it at this stage," one user on Weibo commented.

In Hollywood, the rise of AI has sparked concern among film workers about the prospect of job losses.

An AI-generated sci-fi feature called Gods Don't Give Gifts is scheduled for US release on Dec 4.

And a virtual Hollywood actor called Tilly Norwood, whose interviews have gone viral while fuelling job fears, is also set to star in an upcoming movie called Misaligned.