AFTER 10 years of waiting, the movie “Warcraft” was finally on screen in China on Wednesday.

    Directed by Duncan Jones, the movie was based on the game series and novels “World of Warcraft” (“WOW”), set in the world of Azeroth. It portrays the initial encounters between the humans and the orcs and takes place in a variety of locations established in the game series. It premiered in Los Angeles, the United States, on June 6 and has grossed over US$121 million within a few days.

    Despite critical reviews, it did not stop die-hard Chinese gamers from leaving their homes midnight Tuesday. Cinemas in big cities were crowded even at 4 a.m. Wednesday morning.

    In Shenzhen, more than half of the movie-goers were dressed up for the event with game-related T-shirts and face paint. People gathered, chatting, taking pictures, and sharing excitement about the game and the movie. In Shanghai, one fan even proposed to his girlfriend to loud cheers from spectators.

    The movie made US$46 million on its first day of screening in China, reports Variety. That gives the film the highest first-day box office of any nonweekend film in China’s history. It’s beaten, however, by “Furious 7,” which opened to US$63 million on a Sunday last April.

    The US$46 million is through 10 p.m. Wednesday, and includes a record US$5.3 million in midnight shows, beating 2015’s “Furious 7” (US$4.7 million). “Warcraft” also is breaking records for Imax theaters in China, which have racked up US$13.8 million.

    Heading into its China opening, analysts predicted that the picture could earn US$120-150 million during the first five days after release. If the movie continues to be popular, it may beat those expectations.

    “Warcraft” has many investors, reducing the risk for any one party. Those backing the movie include Legendary and Wanda, Universal and a raft of Chinese companies, including Tencent Pictures, China Film Group, Beijing Taihe Entertainment Co. and Huayi Brothers Media Group.

    With so much China money in the pot, the various parties are making sure “Warcraft” is getting as wide a release as possible. It is playing in a record 67.5 percent of all theaters on the mainland, where there are some 39,000 screens (“Furious 7” played in 62.8 percent).

    A few days ago, an unidentified man in Shanghai leased a big screen in a high-end building on the Bund, inviting his old WOW friends to watch the movie together.

    This online role-playing game, from which the movie was adapted, was made by Blizzard Entertainment. The game was officially released in 2005, and has been popular in China for more than 11 years. The core players are mainly those born in the 1970s and 1980s. Known as “the generation of WOW,” the movie has become a link to their youth.

    For them, it does not really matter who is in the movie or what the plot is. The only thing that matters is whom they are going with.

    Some are bringing their family to introduce them to the game.

    What makes this game so special? Different people may have different answers, but one answer will always stand out — the people you play it with.

    When the game was first released in 2005, millions of Chinese university students and young white-collar workers began playing.

    “No matter who you are and where you are from, once you enter this world, you start from scratch. You develop your characters, your skills and your networks within the game, but at the same time, you bring your own experience and personalities to the characters. This is what makes the game so fun,” a gamer said.

    In this gigantic and complex world, gamers explore together, developing skills and magic powers during battles. “These online activities created a strong friendship between gamers. Therefore it is no surprise that some become lovers and some become real-life friends. In this world, you find someone who share the same interests, so this attachment will remain after you turn off your computer. Even when you are no longer a gamer, you will still cherish this special attachment,” the gamer said.