Taiwan mega star Jay Chou (left) plays a Macao magic shop owner in the film. [Photo provided to China Daily]

So it was no surprise to see Ruffalo－an Oscar nominee－along with Chinese-American director Jon M. Chu turning their Beijing news conference into a "We-love-China" show.

Ruffalo, known to Chinese fans for playing Hulk in Marvel's Avengers franchise, showed off tai chi stunts onstage besides giving the audience a taste of his linguistic skills.

Chu, who was born into a Chinese immigrant family in the United States, says the film and a Beijing tour for his parents fulfilled their decadeslong wish of rediscovering their roots.

Meanwhile, most locals who attended the film's Friday night preview in Beijing, reached a similar conclusion: The feature is Chinese-friendly. And with Taiwan mega star Jay Chou in the cast, the producers seem to have tried hard to connect the film to China.

Also, around one-third of the feature film is based in Macao.