Lawrence and Pratt promote the $120 million sci-fi epic Passengers at a Beijing event. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Lawrence defends the plot in Beijing.

"This movie asks a lot of controversial questions. I don't believe my character will fall in love with Pratt's character if she hasn't become a victim of a tragedy. The weirdest part is that the tragedy is the only way that she can find happiness," she says.

But most Chinese movie fans don't buy the line. Some diehard enthusiasts rewrote the storyline on Chinese review sites, making the story more suspenseful and in-depth.

Separately, the film's weakness in the scientific space is another reason for its shaky reputation.

A similar film, The Martian, which also dealt with loneliness and was released in November 2015 in China, was more convincing.

Interstellar, a sci-fi hit adored by Chinese viewers, had celebrated theoretical physicist Kip Thorne as the science consultant.

"But Passengers has no such scientific background to minimize its flaws. It's such a pity. Otherwise the original idea could have been developed into an amazing story," says Jiang.