By the night of December 18, pre-sale tickets in China had already reached over 100 million yuan, according to film data company BEACON. On the ticket app Taopiaopiao, more than 870,000 people said they plan to watch the movie, and over half of them are women.

However, early shows in some Chinese cities got mixed reviews. Many viewers said they loved the film—some even joked they would “bow” to director James Cameron—while others were not as impressed. Some pointed out that the story and scenes feel similar to earlier Avatar movies. The film also runs for 198 minutes, which could test audiences’ patience and make it harder for cinemas to schedule showtimes.