China’s pioneering feature-length film created entirely through artificial intelligence has met with commercial failure and sharp criticism from industry professionals and students alike, underscoring deep skepticism toward automated filmmaking.
On October 27, marking its sixth day in theatrical release, Sanxingdui: Future Past recorded a meager attendance rate of just 0.3 percent, translating to roughly three moviegoers for every ten screenings. The box office struggles became a primary topic of discussion among students on October 29 at the prestigious Beijing Film Academy in northwestern Beijing, an institution that has trained prominent Chinese directors such as Zhang Yimou and Jia Zhang-ke.
Outside the academy, undergraduate acting students offered a blunt assessment of the production. While acknowledging the technical precision of the computer-generated imagery, noting that skin pores are visible on screen, they dismissed the project as an emotionally vacant dud that fails to resonate with viewers.
Established filmmakers voiced similar artistic reservations well before the film’s theatrical debut. During a press conference held on June 13 for the jury of the Shanghai International Film Festival, veteran Hong Kong actor Tony Leung argued that AI-generated motion pictures lack a vital artistic soul. Taiwanese actress and director Shu Qi echoed those sentiments in September, observing that while AI-generated characters appear flawless, they lack unique human warmth and memorable facial features, leaving the technology currently unsuited for the big screen.
