Chen Kaige promotes his upcoming fantasy epic Legend of the Demon Cat. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Renowned director Chen Kaige's upcoming epic, Legend of the Demon Cat, will open across China on Dec 22, sparking online debate about whether it will revive Chen's fortunes after a string of box office flops in recent years.

Shooting to fame with international award-winning films like Farewell My Concubine, Chen quickly became one of the country's most prestigious filmmakers.

But most of Chen's recent movies of the past decade, from Sacrifice (2010) to Monk Comes Down the Mountain (2014), fell short of being commercial or critical successes.

Six years in preparation and production, Legend of the Demon Cat, appears to be a pivotal work for the director to revive his reputation, industry watchers say.