Cinemas to Welcome "New Faces" as First AI Film Faces Market Test

Cinemas are about to welcome a "new face." On October 23, the film "Sanxingdui: Future Past" will be released in cinemas nationwide, making it the first domestic theatrical film produced using AI technology to obtain a public screening permit from the China Film Administration. The rapid advancement of AI technology has driven transformation across many industries, and the changes in the film and television industry this year have been particularly notable. Since the beginning of the year, first there was explosive growth in the output of AI short dramas, then the first AIGC long-form drama "Journey to the West: The Later Years" aired, and now the first AI theatrical feature film is about to be releasedAI film and television has entered a new stage of development. "Bona Film Group has made many live-action blockbusters, but for me, the difficulty of this film is unprecedented. The challenges come from every aspect. As the first AI-native theatrical film in China approved for release, we had no prior experience to draw on, and at the same time we had to consider whether audiences would be able to accept this form of presentation," said Qu Ji Xiaojiang, producer of "Sanxingdui: Future Past." AI short dramas are the hottest track in the content market this year. According to data published by industry research firm DataEye, from January to September this year, the number of AI drama and anime dramas launched on the Douyin platform reached 365,800, with 51,800 launched in September alone, setting a new single-month high.