From short-form content to cinemas: what step has AI film and television taken?

  • AI film and television is expanding from low-cost, rapidly iterated short-form content into films, series, and theatrical releases. Soochow Securities notes that AI dramas and comic-based dramas have led the way in supplying content through serialized production, while feature-length production is accelerating.
  • Bona Film Group's Sanxingdui: Future Past opened in cinemas nationwide on 23 October 2026. Beyond demonstrating the technology, its theatrical release brings AI content into the big-screen delivery stage; Guotai Haitong Securities believes this means AI-generated visuals are beginning to be tested on the big screen.

How do improvements in model capabilities translate into production efficiency and content supply?

  • Efficiency gains involve multiple stages of production. The Myth Accident project, presented at the Yangtze River Delta International Youth Film Week, uses 33 AI agents to assist with story development, understanding artistic styles, storyboard design, and task allocation; Dawa Technology also presented examples combining agents with virtual production.
  • Guotai Haitong Securities expects AI to potentially reduce filming costs and shorten production cycles for high-cost genres such as science fiction and military productions, thereby increasing film production capacity and attracting more producers to create content in different formats.
  • This line of reasoning hinges on coordination between models and production workflows. Soochow Securities believes industry competition will shift from standalone model capabilities to the integration of technology, content, and processes, with high-quality IP and delivery at scale determining whether content expansion and efficiency gains can be realized.

Where do Huace Film & TV and Guomai Culture each fit in?

  • Huace Film & TV's connection is the production process: the company has independently developed the “Youfeng” and “Guose” large models and integrated APIs from several general-purpose large models. It has established AI applications across the full chain, from scriptwriting, storyboard generation, virtual production, and post-production to publicity and distribution, echoing the workflow coordination emphasized by securities firms.
  • Guomai Culture's connection is IP resources and adaptation: the company holds long-term rights to more than 700 classic books and plans to steadily advance adaptations of its core IP into multiple formats and monetize them across the entire industry chain in 2026, while using AI in content production, operations, marketing, and other areas. Its business focus is to select suitable directions for adaptation while reducing costs and improving efficiency.