Fans watch James Cameron as deep-sea diver

"I hope Deepsea Challenge 3D inspires you as my expedition team inspired me," Cameron said.

Receiving an average score of around 8.5 out of 10 on mainstream movie review websites, such as Douban.com and Mtime.com, most viewers said that they liked the reality production.

"Cameron is really a god of filming. Even a documentary can look so dramatic and attractive in plot," wrote a Chinese fan on Mtime.com.

But some said the documentary would have to unfairly compete with blockbusters that have been released during the Chinese New Year holidays, considered the most profitable time at the box office.

"I waited for the movie for a long time. Media reports had said the earlier release date was supposed to be in August," says Xiang Jian, a 26-year-old fan from Hunan province. "Only a quarter of more than 120 cinemas in Beijing are screening it, and most play it at 10 pm and other non-prime showtime."

The Oscar-winning director was known to Chinese moviegoers as early as in 1995, when his action thriller True Lies became the first Hollywood blockbuster on the mainland.

His fame rose in 2012, when the fantasy epic Avatar stirred a frenzy in China, causing some fans to line up overnight to buy tickets.