Screen capture of Xin Bu Bu Jing Xin, starring Taiwan actress Ivy Chen. Photo provided to China Daily

"Diehard fans will keep a close watch on adaptations. If the plot is rewritten too much, or the cast is a far cry from the characters depicted in the original works, fans might feel angry and boycott the movie or TV production," Yun Yang, a veteran film critic, says.

Chen Su, deputy head of innovation at LeTV, one of the country's major streaming websites, says: "Even if a novel is adapted into a movie, the box office doesn't rely on the fans alone."

According to him, A-list stars and action scenes usually guarantee box-office success, much more so than the popularity of the original novels.

Besides, if the central idea of a book is preserved in the movie adaptation, the changes to plot and characters might be of less significance to viewers, he says.

"The martial arts novels by Louis Cha have been adapted into more than 100 TV series and movies since 1958," Chen explains.

"Some of the remakes have made big on-screen changes, but were still welcomed (by audiences)."