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.
\n\nMore than 10,000 screenings of "Sanxingdui: Future Past", a sci-fi thriller, are scheduled for Friday, according to ticketing platform Maoyan.
\n\nHowever, public reception has been less than enthusiastic.
\n\nPresale revenue as of Thursday evening stood at 65,000 yuan ($9,700), while total box-office takings were forecast to remain below 100,000 yuan, only a fraction of the reported production cost, according to Maoyan.
\n\nJiang Defu, CEO of the production company Bona Film Group, acknowledged the lukewarm reception in a recent interview, but said the film was pushing boundaries.
\n\n"We are the first to try it, the first to get a theatrical release permit, and the first to be tested by the audience," he told Chinese film industry outlet Yuli.
\n\nNearly 100 people took more than two years to make the film, which cost more than 10 million yuan ($1.5 million), Bona said.
\n\nBut that was not enough to convince Iris Yang, who attended a free preview screening of the film on Thursday and said she would not have paid for a…
Original source: https://www.cnbctv18.com/entertainment/
