iQIYI AIGC Series "The Ferry Man" Exceeds RMB 8 Million in Revenue-Sharing as Third Instalment Debuts on October 1
The series recovered its full production costs within its first week under iQIYI's revenue-sharing model, the company said.
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Rhea-AI Summary
iQIYI (IQ) announced that its AI-generated film series “The Ferry Man” surpassed RMB 8 million in cumulative revenue-sharing box office.
The total reached RMB 8 million (US$1.2 million) as of September 23. Revenue-sharing distributes earnings between production partners and iQIYI based on viewership; the figure is not identified as iQIYI's own revenue. Produced with GHY Culture & Media, the first two films launched on August 22. The third, “The Ferry Man: The Dream of the Princess,” debuts October 1 on iQIYI and iQIYI International. The company said the series recovered its full production costs within its first week, while the first two films took less than four months from project initiation to launch.
Positive
- Minor point“The Ferry Man” cumulative revenue-sharing box office surpassed RMB 8 million (US$1.2 million) as of September 23.
- Minor pointSeries production costs were fully recovered within the first week, iQIYI said.
- Minor pointFirst two films moved from project initiation to launch in less than four months.
- Minor pointReusable digital assets reduce third-film production costs, iQIYI said.
Negative
- None.
News Explained
The three lead actors licensed their likenesses and provided voiceovers, and iQIYI says standardized, reusable character, scene and prop assets let the third film maintain visual consistency while significantly reducing production costs.
Key Figures
- Cumulative revenue-sharing
- >RMB 8 million (US$1.2 million)
- As of September 23
- Production-cost recovery
- Within the first week
- For the series
- Third instalment debut
- October 1, 2026
- The Ferry Man: The Dream of the Princess
Historical Context
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Earlier coverage reported first-two-film cost recovery in a week and RMB 8 million revenue-sharing.
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Key Terms
aigc technical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Produced by iQIYI and GHY Culture & Media, the series' first two titles, "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, and quickly gained commercial traction, reflecting growing market confidence in iQIYI's AI-driven premium content.
Rooted in traditional Chinese culture, "The Ferry Man" is an established IP spanning long-form drama, online films, musicals, and short-form series, blending mythology, folklore, and contemporary themes. The new films use AI production to render classical Chinese philosophical imagery as cinematic worlds.
Redefining Production Efficiency
The success of "The Ferry Man" series demonstrates a robust end-to-end AIGC value chain, one that successfully integrates production efficiency, market validation, and strong financial returns. By incorporating AI into its core workflow, iQIYI has fundamentally optimized the filmmaking process.
According to Zhichao LI, producer of the series, the first two films moved from project initiation to launch in less than four months. "AI significantly improved efficiency during the preparation and production stages," Li said, noting that the script development and post-production processes remained largely consistent with traditional film and television workflows.
During production, AIGC was used to generate visual assets for concept design, sets, props, and other art elements, which could then be directly turned into video based on the director's creative requirements. This simplified parts of the traditional production process, including physical shoots and scene transitions, while giving creators greater flexibility. For a key scene in "The Ferry Man: The Dream of the Celestial Maiden", AI generation also streamlined a process that would traditionally involve months of visual effects and green-screen production, significantly improving production efficiency and making complex scenes more feasible to produce.
Leveraging Digital Assets for Long-Term Value
Unlike traditional productions, "The Ferry Man" series builds lasting digital asset value through AIGC. The three lead actors licensed their likenesses and provided their own voiceovers, with digital character assets, scenes, and props developed as standardized, reusable assets. These assets enable the upcoming third film to maintain visual consistency while significantly reducing production costs, establishing a scalable model for serialized content development.
Market Validation through Data-Driven Models
The commercial performance of "The Ferry Man" series further validates the viability of AIGC content as a financially sustainable production model. Through iQIYI's revenue-sharing model, the series recovered its full production costs within the first week and surpassed
The series also builds on iQIYI's continued exploration of long-form AIGC filmmaking, following "Mystic Tales - The Spider Lady's Vendetta" —
iQIYI Press
press@qiyi.com
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SOURCE iQIYI
FAQ
AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
How much revenue-sharing box office has iQIYI's The Ferry Man generated?
“The Ferry Man” surpassed RMB 8 million (US$1.2 million) in cumulative revenue-sharing box office as of September 23. The model shares earnings between production partners and iQIYI based on viewership; this amount is not identified as revenue attributable solely to iQIYI.
How does iQIYI reuse digital assets in The Ferry Man's third film?
The series uses standardized, reusable digital characters, scenes and props for subsequent production. The three lead actors licensed their likenesses and supplied their own voiceovers. iQIYI said these assets allow the third film to maintain visual consistency while reducing production costs.