China's first AI-generated feature film to hit cinemas on Friday

Qu Jixiaojiang, the film's producer, told the Global Times.

The challenge reflects a broader question facing an entertainment industry increasingly experimenting with generative AI: As the technology makes visual production more accessible, what will persuade audiences to pay for the finished work?

The filmmaker revealed that the film cost over 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) to make, but whether it will recoup its investment is also a question the industry is watching closely.

Online reactions to the film's trailer have included skepticism about the value of AI-generated content, with some netizens questioning why they should buy cinema tickets for images that can seemingly be created at little cost.

Qu responded that she understood the reservations, including among people who instinctively resist AI-generated entertainment. The team plans to judge its efforts by the responses of people who actually watch the film, she said, adding that both positive and negative feedback would be valuable.

She also drew parallels with earlier technological shifts in cinema, when the arrival of motion pictures faced resistance from theater advocates and the transition from film to digital cameras prompted concerns that the art form was losing its soul.