China’s first fully AI-generated feature film opens in cinemas on Friday 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 the sci-fi thriller “Sanxingdui: Future Past” are scheduled for Friday, according to ticketing platform Maoyan.
Public reception, however, has been less than enthusiastic.
Presale revenue as of Friday morning stood at 80,000 yuan ($11,980), while total box-office takings were forecast to remain below 150,000 yuan, only a fraction of the reported production cost, according to Maoyan.
Ticket prices range from 20 to 90 yuan, bringing the number sold to a few thousand at most.
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,
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