James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash has stormed the Chinese market, surpassing 100 million yuan in pre-sales ahead of its massive December 19 debut. While critics are divided over the 198-minute runtime, the film’s groundbreaking IMAX 3D visuals are being hailed as a technical masterpiece. Following director James Cameron’s appearance at the Hainan Island International Film Festival to promote the highly anticipated Avatar 3, the much-discussed Hollywood blockbuster made its theatrical debut in China on December 19. By the evening of Dec. 18, Avatar 3’s pre-sale box office earnings had exceeded 100 million yuan ($14 million), as reported by BEACON Pro, a Chinese movie data platform, with more than 870,000 individuals in the country showing interest in the film on the popular ticketing app Taopiaopiao. Notably, female moviegoers make up more than half of this enthusiastic group. Nonetheless, the film received varied feedback during pre-screening events in various Chinese cities, with some praising it highly while others expressed criticism. Certain fans were so impressed by Cameron that they humorously claimed they would “kneel down” …