Ye Xiu, the protagonist in the animated film The King's Avatar: For the Glory. [Photo provided to China Daily]

In 2011, novelist Wang Dong, better known as Hudie Lan (Butterfly orchid), released his online game-themed novel, The King's Avatar, on Qidian.com, the country's largest internet novel-hosting website.

The novel took three years to wrap up, and became a sensation spawning an animation series, a live-action TV series, a stage show, and two albums.

Now, a feature-length animation film based on the novel has hit domestic theaters, marking the first time the protagonist gamers have been brought to life on big screen.

The film, The King's Avatar: For the Glory, has grossed nearly 74 million yuan ($10.5 million) since it opened on Aug 16.

Set in Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang province, the film centers on Ye Xiu, a genius gamer who is forced to leave his professional e-sports team. After moving to work as a handyman in an internet café, Ye reinvents himself to join the multi-player online game Glory.

The film has received mixed reviews online. And some disappointed fans complain that the characters are depicted poorly and that many of the sequences are badly done.