The recent claim that the AI-generated short film "Huo Qubing" achieved 5 billion views with a production cost of only 3,000 yuan has been debunked. The film's director has admitted that earlier promotional statements about its 80-episode length, ultra-low budget, and massive viewership were inaccurate.

The short film, created by young AI filmmaker Yang Hanhan using 360's Nano Comic production pipeline, is actually a single 4-minute and 39-second piece depicting the story of the Han dynasty general Huo Qubing. It went viral in March after media outlets including Taiwan's EBC News began reporting exaggerated figures about its production scale and viewership.

Industry professionals quickly raised doubts about the claims. Some pointed out that while a 5-minute AI video might indeed cost around 3,000 yuan to produce, the assertion that 80 episodes were created for the same budget with 5 billion views was implausible. Investigation revealed that a 22-minute foreign film sharing the same title had only 220,000 views, with no evidence supporting the 5-billion view claim.

Director Yang Hanhan later clarified that she never mentioned an 80-episode series, attributing this to misinformation spread by marketing accounts. She explained that the 3,000 yuan figure referred only to computing power costs, excluding labor, and that the 5 billion view statistic came from unverified overseas reports.

The incident highlights how exaggerated claims can quickly gain traction in the rapidly growing AI-generated content space. According to industry insiders, while AI tools significantly reduce production costs and time compared to traditional filming, effective promotion and advertising investment remain critical for visibility.

One investor revealed that as early as September 2025, daily spending on promoting AI-generated comic series on Douyin alone reached 20 million yuan, translating to an annual expenditure of over 7 billion yuan. With the AI-generated content market expected to exceed 20 billion yuan in scale, advertising costs represent a substantial barrier for creators.

As AI video generation technology becomes more accessible, industry observers note that success will increasingly depend on strong intellectual property, compelling storytelling, and sophisticated promotion strategies rather than just technical capabilities.