iQIYI's AIGC Film Series Surpasses RMB 8 Million in Revenue Sharing

Chinese online entertainment platform iQIYI has announced that its AI-generated (AIGC) film series "The Ferry Man" has surpassed RMB 8 million (approximately US$1.2 million) in cumulative revenue sharing as of September 23. This milestone coincides with the debut of the series' third installment, "The Ferry Man: The Dream of the Princess," on October 1.

The first two installments, "The Ferry Man: Butterfly Dream" and "The Ferry Man: The Dream of the Celestial Maiden," were released simultaneously on August 22 on iQIYI and iQIYI International. They quickly achieved commercial traction, reflecting growing market confidence in iQIYI's AI-driven content.

The "The Ferry Man" series draws on traditional Chinese culture, utilizing AI to render cinematic worlds that blend mythology, folklore, and contemporary themes. Zhichao LI, the series' producer, noted that the first two films moved from project initiation to launch in less than four months, with AI significantly improving production efficiency. The series' success demonstrates a robust end-to-end AIGC value chain.

AI was employed to generate visual assets for elements such as concept design, sets, and props, substantially streamlining traditional filmmaking processes like shooting and post-production. Additionally, digital character and scene assets were developed as standardized, reusable components, enabling cost-efficiency and scalability for future installments. iQIYI aims to establish a scalable model for serialized content development.

The series' commercial performance validates AIGC content as a viable and financially sustainable production model. "The Ferry Man" recouped its production costs within the first week and surpassed the RMB 8 million revenue mark within the first month. This rapid market feedback also allows for timely adjustments to creative decisions.