On June 2, 2025, a mainland Chinese science fiction film called “Variant” with an investment of over a hundred million yuan premiered during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. However, on the first day, only two audience members showed up to watch the film, resulting in a mere revenue of 40 yuan, setting a record low for film box office in mainland China this year.
May 30 saw the release of five new films in the mainland Chinese market, including “Mission: Impossible 8,” “Child of Time,” “Red Wedding Dress,” “I’m Waiting, the Wind is Waiting,” and “Variant.” Meanwhile, ten new films starring actors like Louis Koo premiered on May 31, indicating fierce competition. However, the release of “Mission: Impossible 8” quickly overtook the competition.
By 5 p.m. on May 30, “Mission: Impossible 8” topped the daily box office ranking, grossing over 24 million yuan, with a screen share of 30.9% and a box office share of 64%. The film had a significantly higher attendance rate compared to other new releases. On the other hand, the performance of several other new films was dismal: the domestic horror film “Red Wedding Dress” only earned 700,000 yuan on its first day, and the romantic film “I’m Waiting, the Wind is Waiting” saw an even worse revenue of 226 yuan.
The most surprising disappointment was “Variant,” a domestically produced science fiction blockbuster that reportedly cost over 100 million yuan to produce.
Public records reveal that “Variant” was written and directed by Li Qilin and starred actors like Liu Jingyu, Yang Shutong, and Kai’er. The movie tells the story of a boy named Jamie born on a spaceship who inadvertently releases the unknown creature “Bali,” causing the deaths of his parents and crew members. He escapes to Earth, but twenty years later, “Bali” and its mutants reappear, leading Jamie to fight for survival in a story of human salvation and self-redemption.
According to mainland Chinese media reports, “Variant” supposedly assembled actors and production teams from more than 50 countries, spent six months filming in the United States with over a thousand special effects shots. There were rumors that the production team spent lavishly on building a digital studio and even provided food for the crew using 200 sheep.
Some internet users have criticized “Variant” for heavily borrowing its plot from the Hollywood classic “Alien.” Despite featuring foreign actors, the film’s special effects were deemed rough, and its storyline seemed heavily plagiarized, making it a laughingstock in the realm of Chinese domestic science fiction films.
Reports indicate that the film was completed as early as 2018 but only released its first trailer in 2023, facing multiple delays before its premiere. Despite substantial resources invested, the film attracted only two viewers on its release day, earning a meager 40 yuan in total revenue, turning the cinema viewing experience into practically a day trip, with an estimated total box office likely below one hundred yuan, marking a significant failure that completely sunk the over hundred million yuan investment.