Images and video · 2026-10-27

$1.5 million and two years of work gone: the first fully AI-generated film from China flopped at the box office

A Chinese film made entirely with AI took in only about $181,000 in its first days, while a homemade cartoon made on a $200 budget earned nearly $10 million.

✨ What happened

The Chinese film «Sanxingdui: Future Past» (Sanxingdui: Future Past) opened in national cinemas on October 23. In its first days it took in only $181,000. Cartoon Brew reported this, and Futurism passed on the news.

The film played on more than 10,000 screens on its opening day. Distributor Bona Film Group expected a wide release, but the average was less than $20 per screen. At that rate the company is unlikely to recover the stated budget of $1.5 million.

📌 How it was made

According to its creators, almost 100 people worked on the project for over two years. However, both the visuals and the voices of the "actors" were fully generated by AI. In other words, AI produced both the images and the voiceover.

🔹 What the director said

Bona Film Group CEO Jiang Defu acknowledged that audience problems started before the premiere, when advance ticket sales were low. In a comment to the Chinese outlet Yuli he said: «We are the first to take this risk, the first to receive a distribution permit, and the first to be tested by the audience. I think this is extremely difficult».

🔸 A contrast with another film

Against this flop, another Chinese animated film, «Niu Lai» (Niu Lai), unexpectedly became a hit. A mother and son made it on a budget of just $200. Its animation is rough and its voice acting is amateur, which is the complete opposite of the polished, cold visuals AI produces.

It was exactly this sincerity and imperfection that audiences liked. The film became a viral meme and took in nearly $10 million. Relative to its initial budget, it is one of the most profitable films in cinema history.

Sources: 🔗 DOU/dev.ua