China’s movie industry is putting its artificial intelligence capabilities to a high-stakes commercial test as the country’s first fully AI-generated feature film, *Sanxingdui: Future Past*, officially hits cinemas nationwide. Despite securing a massive theatrical rollout with over 10,000 scheduled screenings, the sci-fi thriller is encountering a distinctly cold reception from moviegoers, with advance ticket sales lagging far behind industry expectations. According to data from Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan, presale revenues stood at a meager 65,000 yuan (US$9,700), with total box-office projections forecasted to remain below 100,000 yuan—a tiny fraction of the film's substantial budget.

Produced by Bona Film Group, the ambitious project took a dedicated team of nearly 100 people over two years to create, carrying an overall production cost exceeding 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million). Addressing the sluggish presale numbers, Bona Film Group CEO Jiang Defu acknowledged the public's hesitant response but defended the milestone, stating that breaking new ground, obtaining a formal theatrical release permit, and putting AI technology to the ultimate test in front of a paying audience is an achievement in itself. However, early preview audiences and social media commentators remain largely unconvinced, noting that while short-form AI content flourishes on platforms like Douyin—garnering over 200 billion views in a single month—paying top dollar at the cinema requires a level of visual polish and narrative depth comparable to Hollywood blockbusters like *Avatar*.

The lukewarm theatrical debut highlights a growing tension between rapid technological innovation and consumer willingness to pay for AI-generated entertainment. As social media users suggest that such projects belong on free streaming platforms rather than big-screen cinemas, independent directors and industry experts note that audiences will not automatically buy tickets simply due to the novelty of artificial intelligence. This box-office experiment comes at a pivotal moment for global cinema, as Hollywood simultaneously grapples with worker concerns over AI automation ahead of upcoming Western releases featuring AI elements, making the commercial trajectory of *Sanxingdui: Future Past* a critical bellwether for the future of synthetic media in mainstream entertainment.