iQiyi’s AI film series “The Ferry Man” passed RMB 8 million (US$1.2 million) in cumulative revenue-sharing box office as of 23 September, the Chinese streamer said this month. The disclosure coincides with the release of the third instalment – “The Ferry Man: The Dream of the Princess” – on both domestic and international services. 

The first two films, “The Ferry Man: Butterfly Dream” and “The Ferry Man: The Dream of the Celestial Maiden” – both produced by iQiyi and Singapore-listed production house GHY Culture & Media – launched simultaneously on 22 August on both platforms.

iQiyi, which shares revenue with production partners based on viewership, said the series recovered its full production cost in the first week and passed RMB 8 million within the first month. The production budget and details of the revenue split were not disclosed. 

The three lead actors licensed their likenesses and recorded their own voiceovers. Digital character assets, scenes and props were built as standardised, reusable assets, which iQiyi said would keep the third film visually consistent and lower its production costs.

Talking about AIGC, producer Zhichao Li said the first two films went from project initiation to launch in less than four months.

AI significantly improved efficiency during the preparation and production stages, including generating visual assets for concept design, he said, adding that script development and post-production remained largely in line with traditional film and TV workflows.

“The Ferry Man” is an existing IP spanning long-form drama, online films, musicals and short-form series, drawing on mythology, folklore and contemporary themes.