China's first fully AI-generated feature film, Sanxingdui: Future Past, opens in cinemas this week. Maoyan has scheduled more than 10,000 screenings of the movie starting Friday.
Presale revenue reached 80,000 yuan by Friday morning, with ticket prices ranging between 20 and 90 yuan. Maoyan forecasts that total box-office takings for the film will remain below 150,000 yuan.
Bona Film Group stated that nearly 100 people spent over two years producing the movie, which cost more than 10 million yuan. Every actor, voice, and backdrop in Sanxingdui: Future Past was created using artificial intelligence.
Jiang Defu 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." Iris Yang noted that she would be willing to pay for the film if AI generation can match the theatrical experience of Avatar.
AI-generated short dramas achieved more than 200 billion views on Douyin during September. Other upcoming projects include the film Gods Don't Give Gifts, set for a US release on 4 December 2026, and Misaligned, which features a virtual Hollywood actor called Tilly Norwood.
