China’s first AI-generated film to get a theatrical release flops at the box office
Sanxingdui: Future Past only generated around $180,000 at the box office, despite costing $1.5 million to make.
China's inaugural AI-generated feature film, Sanxingdui: Future Past, suffered a box office failure. Created by Bona Film Group, the sci-fi thriller centers on an archaeologist who must rescue a world controlled by AI. Despite a $1.5 million budget, the movie earned only roughly $180,000, according to ticketing data. Bona Film Group's chief operating officer, Jiang Defu, acknowledged the film's lukewarm response while emphasizing it as a groundbreaking experiment.
Social media responses have been divided, with some users criticizing the film as "traumatizing" and others praising its low cost and creative freedom. AI has already dominated shorter narratives on social media platforms, with over 95% of Chinese microdramas in Q1 2026 being AI-generated. However, the movie's failure indicates that audiences are skeptical about AI in full-length films.
Experts suggest that audiences would only accept an AI-generated film if it matched the cinematic quality of blockbusters like "Avatar" or "Nezha 2." The box office flop of Sanxingdui: Future Past may discourage future attempts to use AI in feature films, prompting studios to be more cautious.
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