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On October 23, 2026, "Sanxingdui: Future Past," a full-process AI theatrical feature film produced by Bona Film Group, was released. The film obtained a public screening permit from the China Film Administration, has a runtime of 100 minutes, and all characters are original digital figures. On October 25, producer and chief producer Jiang Defu shared the creative process at a special screening event in Shanghai, saying that in the early stage of creation, a 13-episode preview made with AI received 200 million views on Douyin, and only later, as technology iterated and upgraded, was the decision made to produce a feature film. Reports on the same day showed that the film's box office reached 1.162 million yuan; the entire film was completed relying on Bona's self-developed "Boka Film Cloud Studio," and the team spent two years producing more than 1.2 million base images and completing hundreds of full-film iterations. AI mainly handled generation and execution, while creative conception, script, shot design and aesthetic judgment were completed by Bona's AIGMS team.
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Developments
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Jiang Defu shares the creative journey of the AI theatrical film "Sanxingdui: Future Past"
Source:Shangguan NewsChina's first fully AI-produced theatrical feature film surpasses one million yuan at the box office
Source:IT Home · AIBona Film Group AI theatrical film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" released
Source:TMTPost · AGI
Reports and discussion timeline
Browse reports and discussion by time. Their evidence levels remain distinct.
Oct 30
TMTPost · AGI
Bona Film's "Sanxingdui: Future Past" Struggles at the Box Office: Predictions and Candlestick Charts for AI Theatrical Feature Films
Four days after its release, Bona Film's AI theatrical film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" had grossed just over 1.2 million yuan at the box office, with Lighthouse projecting a final box office of 2.6 million yuan, while the production side claims a cost in the tens of millions. Earlier announcements of the film's release date had repeatedly driven Bona's stock to its daily limit up, yet after its release Bona has hit the daily limit down for consecutive days, falling more than 27% year to date. In the first half of this year, Bona's AI film and television drama business revenue was 1.9323 million yuan, accounting for 0.42% of total revenue.
Oct 28
TMTPost · AGI
As the first AI full-process theatrical film hits theaters, the income of grassroots actors and the number of productions starting in Hengdian have fallen sharply
On October 23, 2026, China's first AI full-process feature-length theatrical film to obtain a public screening permit from the China Film Administration, "Sanxingdui: Future Past," was released; in its 100 minutes of footage, all characters are original digital figures. On the same day, the General Office of the State Council published the "Opinions on Adapting to the Development of Artificial Intelligence Technology and Helping to Build an Employment-Friendly Development Model," proposing to effectively mitigate the employment-substitution impact of AI applications. The article cites data stating that in the first quarter of 2026, the number of short dramas starting production in Hengdian plummeted by three-quarters year-on-year, the studio vacancy rate approached 80%, and of the roughly 128,000 micro-short dramas launched across the industry, AI micro-short dramas reached 122,000, accounting for more than 95%.
TMTPost · AGIRelated discussion
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36Kr · AI
AI short dramas account for over 95%, and the incomes of grassroots actors in Hengdian have plummeted
In the first quarter of 2026, approximately 128,000 micro-short dramas were released across the industry, of which AI micro-short dramas reached 122,000, accounting for more than 95%. In Hengdian, the number of short dramas that started production in the first quarter plummeted by three-quarters year-on-year, the studio vacancy rate approached 80%, and only 700 to 800 valid notices for ordinary extras were issued each day. The article compares the per-title cost of live-action short dramas, at 500,000 to 1 million yuan, with the assembly-line cost of AI short dramas, at 3,000 to 5,000 yuan, and argues that performing labor that can be broken down in a standardized way will be the first to be replaced.
Oct 27
Shanghai Observer
Why Did China's First Fully AI-Produced Theatrical Film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" Fail at the Box Office?
China's first fully AI-produced feature-length theatrical film to receive a Dragon Seal, "Sanxingdui: Future Past," earned only 1.246 million yuan at the national box office in its first four days of release, with an average occupancy rate of less than 1%, far short of its ten-million-yuan budget. The article argues that AI performs well in grand scenes and artistic texture, but the characters' expressions are dull, the lip-syncing does not match, and the splicing of short shots causes narrative jumps, leading viewers to complain that it looks like a high-end game CG. The flood of free AI short films on short-video platforms has also made audiences unwilling to buy tickets for long-form AI videos. The Dragon Seal only addresses whether a film can be released in theaters; it does not address whether audiences are willing to pay.
East Money
First AI theatrical feature film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" earns only 1.229 million yuan at the box office in 4 days
The first domestic AI full-process theatrical feature film to obtain the Dragon Logo, "Sanxingdui: Future Past," has accumulated a box office of 1.229 million yuan in 4 days since release, with 8,331 screenings, an attendance rate falling to 0.2%, and 0.3 people per screening. Against a production cost in the tens of millions of yuan, the producers' revenue share may be only about 800,000 yuan. Producer Bona Film Group closed down 10.06% on October 26, after hitting the daily limit up three times within six trading days following the announcement of its release date. The article compares the quotation of a few hundred yuan per minute for AI short dramas with the cost of more than 100,000 yuan per minute for this film, pointing out that flaws tolerable on small screens are magnified on the big screen, and that AI replaces the image generation stage, while scriptwriting and directorial judgment have not been replaced in tandem.
East MoneyRelated discussion
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Cailian Press
First Theatrical AI Feature Film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" Grosses 1.229 Million Yuan in 4 Days
The first domestic AI full-process theatrical feature film to receive the "Dragon Seal" approval, "Sanxingdui: Future Past," has grossed a cumulative 1.229 million yuan in 4 days of release, with 8,331 screenings, an attendance rate that has fallen to 0.2%, and 0.3 attendees per screening. Based on the officially disclosed production cost in the tens of millions of yuan, the producers' revenue share may be only about 800,000 yuan, less than one-tenth of the production cost. Producer Bona Film Group hit the daily limit down during intraday trading on October 26, closing down 10.06%; its second AI film, "Unplanned: Guanghan Operation," has been approved for development and has begun shooting.
Securities Times
Bona Film Group's "Sanxingdui: Future Past" Receives Dragon Mark and Hits Theaters; AI Theatrical Feature Film Box Office Approximately 1.229 Million Yuan
The 100-minute sci-fi animated film "Sanxingdui: Future Past," produced by Bona Film Group, recently opened in theaters nationwide, becoming the first domestic AI full-process theatrical feature film to obtain a public screening license. According to Maoyan Professional Edition data, as of the evening of October 26, cumulative box office over 4 days of release was approximately 1.229 million yuan, with a screening share of 2.3%, a shortfall in recoupment against production costs in the tens of millions of yuan. The film was completed by a team of nearly 100 people at Bona's AIGMS Production Center over more than two years, cumulatively producing over 1.2 million base images; the company's self-developed "Boka Film Cloud Studio" platform has launched a web version and provides SaaS services, with AI film and television drama business revenue of 1.9323 million yuan and a gross margin of 96.83% in the first half of 2026.
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Wallstreetcn
China's first fully AI-produced theatrical film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" grossed 1.18 million yuan in its first four days of release
China's first fully AI-produced theatrical film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" grossed 1.18 million yuan in its first four days of release, with an average of 1.1 viewers per screening and an attendance rate of 1.1%, and its total box office is projected to be no more than just over 2 million yuan. The article argues that the film exposes AI's shortcomings in dynamic performance, dialogue, and plot, that the big screen magnifies these flaws, and that the fast-paced model of short dramas and comic dramas is difficult to transfer to theatrical films. The author also points out that AI has already been widely applied in areas such as special effects, color grading, sound, editing, and scriptwriting, and that competition ultimately still comes back to the content itself.
Oct 26
IT Home · Artificial Intelligence
China's first full-process AI theatrical feature film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" surpasses one million yuan at the box office
"Sanxingdui: Future Past" has reached 1.162 million yuan at the box office. The film was released on October 23 and is China's first full-process AI theatrical feature film to obtain a public screening permit from the China Film Administration. The film runs 100 minutes, and all characters are original digital figures, with no digital replication of real actors. The entire film was completed using Bona's self-developed "Boka Film Cloud Studio"; the team spent two years producing more than 1.2 million base images and completing over a hundred full-film iterations. AI mainly handled generation and execution, while creative conception, script, shot design and aesthetic judgment were completed by the Bona AIGMS team, which set up 17 specialized roles modeled on a traditional film crew, with nearly a hundred participants.
IT Home · AIRelated discussion
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36Kr · AI
China's first AI theatrical film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" grosses only one million in its first three days
China's first AI theatrical film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" grossed only one million yuan in its first three days of release. Production took two years, generated more than 1.2 million base images, and involved nearly a hundred people; the filmmakers disclosed a cost in the tens of millions. The article argues that the film's omission of process shots such as traveling and avalanches stems from the limitation that mainstream video models can only generate 8 to 30 seconds continuously at a time, making it difficult to keep characters' clothing, emotions, and other states consistent across shots. The author also notes that Douyin AI short dramas exceeded 200 billion views in September 2026, but whether audiences are willing to pay for AI feature films in theaters remains a question.
TMTPost · AGI
Bona Film's AI movie "Sanxingdui: Future Past" enters theaters, tens-of-millions cost, first-day box office 317,000 yuan
Bona Film Group's 100-minute AI-made theatrical feature "Sanxingdui: Future Past" was released on October 23, with a first-day screening share of 2.9% and a box office of 317,000 yuan; as of the evening of October 25, cumulative box office was about 1.18 million yuan, and the production cost was in the tens-of-millions range. The film's roughly 2,000 shots cumulatively generated more than 1.2 million base images, with a usable-to-discarded ratio of nearly 600:1; Shengshu Technology's Vidu provided computing power and video generation technical support. Bona Film Group CEO Jiang Defu called this an exploratory move, with the focus on running through the complete process from project initiation, production, and review to distribution.
East Money
The point of AI films is not AI but film: Bona Film Group's "Sanxingdui: Future Past" flops at the box office
The first domestic full-AI-process theatrical feature film to obtain a public screening license, "Sanxingdui: Future Past," has grossed only 1.16 million yuan in cumulative box office three days after release, with its October 25 attendance rate as low as 1.1%; producer Bona Film Group's stock hit the limit-down during intraday trading on the 26th. The film exposes the monotony of AI character appearances, movements and dialogue, which lack a "sense of a living person," and the low-cost, high-tolerance model of comic dramas and micro-short dramas is difficult to replicate for theatrical feature films. The article argues that technology should serve the story and characters, and must not show off technique for technique's sake.
Shanghai Observer
Shanghai Weekly Observation: Re-examining the Value of Third Spaces, Robot Fighting Explores the Path to Home Use, First AI Theatrical Film Released
A store in Shanghai uses "robot fighting" to continuously explore feasible paths for bringing artificial intelligence into the home, while humanoid robots have also transformed from exhibits into retail workers completing commercial fulfillment. China's first AI theatrical film, "Sanxingdui: Future Past," has officially been released, and the Port of Shanghai is systematically exploring a "Shanghai Plan" for intelligent port transformation.
East Money
China's first AI film to obtain a public screening license, "Sanxingdui: Future Past," hits theaters
On October 23, China's first AI hyper-realistic theatrical film to obtain a public screening license, "Sanxingdui: Future Past," officially landed in cinemas. All characters in the film are original digital figures, with no digital replication of live-action actors. The project team generated more than 1.2 million base images in total and carried out hundreds of iterations across the entire film to resolve the consistency of artifact forms and character movements across a feature-length film. The 13-episode short drama of the same IP, "Sanxingdui: Future Revelation," launched in 2024, and the project party claims that its total online views exceed 200 million; iQIYI announced its "All in AI" strategy and the "Prairie Fire Plan," with plans to release more than 40 AIGC films in 2026.
Oct 25
Shanghai Observer
First AI theatrical film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" screens in Shanghai; producer Jiang Defu discusses embracing AI
"Sanxingdui: Future Past," the first domestic theatrical film made using AI technology to obtain a public screening permit from the China Film Administration, opened in theaters nationwide on October 23, with a total runtime of 100 minutes; all characters are original digital figures and do not include digital replicas of real actors. Producer and chief producer Jiang Defu said at a special screening event in Shanghai that in the early stage of creation, a 13-episode preview made with AI received 200 million views on Douyin, after which, as the technology iterated and upgraded, the decision was made to produce a feature film, and he said Chinese cinema can only embrace, learn from and accept AI technology.
cnBeta
First domestic AI theatrical film released, opening-day box office just over 300,000 yuan
The first domestic AI theatrical film has been released, earning just over 300,000 yuan on its opening day, with Beacon predicting a total box office of 2.169 million yuan; the producer says the production cost is in the tens of millions of yuan. Bona Film Group CEO Jiang Defu responded that it was not one-click generated—a team of nearly 100 people spent more than two years retouching it frame by frame according to the film industry workflow, discarding 1.2 million base images, while the distribution price was pressed down to 20 yuan and the revenue-sharing ratio was conceded to 40:60. The article also mentions domestic initiatives such as Mango TV's AI long-form drama "Journey to the West: After," iQIYI's Liaoyuan Plan, and ByteDance's Jimeng Studio, as well as overseas AI films such as "Raphael" and "Gods Don't Give Gifts" that have set release dates.
East Money
China's first AI theatrical film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" hits theaters, earning 317,000 yuan on its opening day
"Sanxingdui: Future Past" was released on October 23 and is China's first theatrical film produced using AI technology to obtain a public screening permit from the China Film Administration, with a total runtime of 100 minutes. As of 18:00 on October 24, its nationwide box office stood at 665,000 yuan, with AI predicting a total box office of 2.078 million yuan; it had a 2.9% share of screenings on its opening day and earned 317,000 yuan, still a considerable distance from its ten-million-yuan budget. The film was produced by Bona Film Group's AIGMS team following the film industry workflow. Executive producer Qu Ji Xiaojiang said tasks can be handed to AI, but judgment and responsibility cannot be outsourced.
Phoenix Tech
China's first AI theatrical film opens in theaters, grossing just over 300,000 yuan on its first day
On October 23, China's first AI theatrical film to receive the Dragon Seal officially opened in theaters, grossing just over 300,000 yuan on its first day, with Lighthouse projecting a total box office of 2.169 million yuan. The producer said the cost was in the tens of millions of yuan, and that under normal revenue sharing the break-even line is about 25 million yuan; Bona Film Group CEO Jiang Defu responded that it was not generated with one click, and that a team of nearly 100 people spent more than two years doing frame-by-frame fixes according to the film industry workflow, discarding 1.2 million base images. The article also mentions iQIYI's Liaoyuan Plan, ByteDance's Jimeng Studio, and other AI feature film initiatives at home and abroad.
Shanghai Observer
China's first AI theatrical film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" grossed 665,000 yuan in two days after release
"Sanxingdui: Future Past," China's first theatrical film made using AI technology and granted a public screening license by the China Film Administration, was released on October 23. As of 18:00 on the 24th, its nationwide box office stood at 665,000 yuan, with AI predicting a total gross of 2.078 million yuan—still a considerable gap from its cost in the tens of millions. The film suffers from inconsistent precision and a confusing storyline, but overall it is still regarded as a "film" rather than a collection of AI short videos.
Shanghai Observer
China's first AI-made theatrical film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" hits theaters, earning 317,000 yuan on its opening day
"Sanxingdui: Future Past" was released on October 23. It is China's first theatrical film made using AI technology to obtain a public screening permit from the China Film Administration. The film runs 100 minutes and was produced by the Bona AIGMS team following the film industry's production process, with a cost in the tens of millions of yuan. According to Beacon Professional Edition, its opening-day screening share was 2.9% and its box office was 317,000 yuan. As of 18:00 on October 24, its nationwide box office stood at 665,000 yuan, with AI predicting a total box office of 2.078 million yuan. Industry insiders believe that audiences do not choose films based on the technical method of production, but the low-cost, high-output and diversified characteristics of AI films will drive growth in the number of AI theatrical films.
Oct 24
TMTPost · AGI
Bona Ventures into AI, Failed Three Times
Bona's "Sanxingdui: Future Past," released on October 23, is billed as China's first AI-native theatrical film to obtain a public screening license. Maoyan real-time box office shows a first-day gross of 300,000 yuan, far from recouping its claimed tens-of-millions-level cost. Previously, Bona's "Sanxingdui: Future Revelation" exceeded 200 million views on Douyin but did not build up short-drama production capacity; "Legend," which used AI to recreate a 27-year-old Jackie Chan, cost 330 million yuan and grossed about 80 million yuan, a loss of over 250 million. All three attempts seized a "first," yet none cracked the content and business model.
East Money
The first AI full-process film to receive the Dragon Label, "Sanxingdui: Future Past," has been released, with a box office of 402,000 yuan in two days
On October 23, "Sanxingdui: Future Past," the first domestic AI full-process theatrical feature film to obtain a public screening license from the China Film Administration, was officially released, grossing a cumulative 402,000 yuan over its first two days in theaters. The film is a sci-fi animated movie that underwent two years of technical development, generated more than 1.2 million base images in total, and went through over a hundred full-film iterations; all characters in the film are original digital figures, and AI creation notices are added. Chief producer Jiang Defu said that large-scale scenes that previously cost several million yuan can now be realized with AI technology, and that another AI film project, "Off-Plan: Guanghan Operation," has already been launched.
Zhidongxi
China's first AI hyper-realistic theatrical film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" hits theaters, earning 301,500 yuan on its opening day
"Sanxingdui: Future Past," China's first AI hyper-realistic theatrical film to receive a public screening permit from the China Film Administration, was released on October 23, earning 301,500 yuan on its opening day and a cumulative total box office of 401,000 yuan, with Beacon Professional Edition predicting a total box office of 2.078 million yuan. The film runs 100 minutes, with Shengshu Technology's Vidu providing chief technical support; Bona Film Group's AIGMS team completed the creative judgments in accordance with film-industry workflows, and over two years the team produced a cumulative total of more than 1.2 million base images, with production costs nearly 90% lower than those of traditional live-action sci-fi films of comparable scale. Audiences rated the picture quality and lifelike feel as strong, though the voice acting still has an AI feel.
Phoenix Technology
China's first AI hyper-realistic theatrical film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" premiered, with a first-day box office of 301,500 yuan
China's first AI hyper-realistic theatrical film to obtain a public screening license from the China Film Administration, "Sanxingdui: Future Past," was released on October 23, with a first-day box office of 301,500 yuan, cumulative total box office of 401,000 yuan, and a total box office forecast of 2.078 million yuan by Beacon Professional Edition. The film runs 100 minutes, with chief technical support provided by Shengshu Technology's Vidu, and the AIGMS team of Bona Film Group completing creative judgments according to film industry workflows; the team says production cost was reduced by nearly 90% compared with traditional live-action sci-fi films of equivalent scale. Audiences rate the image quality and lifelike feel as relatively strong, but character dialogue still has a stiff reading feel.
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