iQIYI AI film series ‘The Ferry Man’ exceeds RMB 8 million in revenue

iQIYI has announced that its AI-generated content (AIGC) film series, ‘The Ferry Man’, has surpassed RMB 8 million (US$1.2 million) in cumulative revenue-sharing as of September 23. Under this model, earnings are distributed between production partners and iQIYI based on viewership.

The series, produced in collaboration with GHY Culture & Media, successfully recovered its full production costs within the first week of release. The first two installments were moved from project initiation to launch in less than four months, a timeline facilitated by the integration of AI into the filmmaking workflow.

To maintain visual consistency and reduce costs for future installments, the production utilizes standardized, reusable digital assets for characters, scenes, and props. The third film in the series, ‘The Ferry Man: The Dream of the Princess’, is scheduled to debut on October 1 on iQIYI and iQIYI International.