WANG Xinyuan has booked a flight from Beijing to Shanghai next week to join six old college chums in attending the premiere of the epic fantasy film “Warcraft: The Beginning.”

“I have a 10-year promise to keep,” says the 32-year old advertising executive, who went to university in Shanghai. “At our graduation dinner in 2006, we pledged to get together in 10 years for our next game of ‘World of Warcraft.’ Instead of the game, we will be going to watch the first movie adaptation.”

Wang is one of millions of Chinese who are die-hard fans of Hollywood fantasy and sci-fi movies that rely heavily on elaborate special effects. According to Maoyan, an online ticketing website, the pre-sale box office for the premiere of “Warcraft” has reached over 4.8 million yuan (US$738,461.54)

The mania over the entertainment genre isn’t confined to adolescents and 20-somethings.

“Many people call fans like us brainless,” says Alan Liu, 32, another “Warcraft” fanatic who even now spends nights playing the game. “I don’t mind. Different people have different interests. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

He has tickets to the premiere of the film at 12am of June 8.

Indeed, June is a bonanza month for all the hardcore fans addicted to tech-inspired blockbuster films.

In addition to the “Warcraft” premiere, the offerings on deck include the superhero film “X-Men: Apocalypse” based on the Marvel Comics characters. It opens today. Then comes the computer-animated comedy-adventure film “Finding Dory” on June 17, and a week later, the initial screenings of the science-fiction disaster film “Independence Day: Resurgence” and the comedy-action film “Now You See Me 2.”

“World of Warcraft” initially hit the scene in 2004 as a multiplayer online role-play game released by Blizzard Entertainment. The new American film version, directed by Duncan Jones, has been long anticipated by the game’s aficionados in China.

For most of the generation of the 1980s and 90s, “Warcraft” was one of those must-do things in life. It wasn’t uncommon in dorm rooms to find groups of students playing “Warcraft” long into the night.

“We were crazy about it at the time,” Liu recalls his university days. “If it had been possible, I guess we would have played for days nonstop.”

The upcoming film portrays the initial encounter between the humans and orcs, according to Xie Kang, one of Wang’s roommates, who now works at a real estate company in Shanghai.

“I used to play the role of elf in the game,” Xie says. “I can’t wait to see the film.”

Even though he is now married with a seven-month-old son, Xie can’t resist the lure of the game. He estimates he has spent more than 70,000 yuan over the years buying paraphernalia related to “World of Warcraft.”

According to Gewara, another Shanghai-based online ticketing website, 237,580 tickets for the “Warcraft” movie were sold on its platform by the end of May.

“This time, even in suburban cinemas, there will be midnight screenings,” says Mia Shen, who works for Gewara. “Popular cinemas like UME in Xintiandi and the Cathay Theater are already booked out.”

A netizen on Zhihu.com, a popular Chinese question-and-answer website, initiated a survey by asking: “What do you think of the box office for “‘Warcraft’?” The responses filled more than 90 pages.

“Forget about the box office,” said one netizen. “I don’t care whether it’s a good movie or not. I will go watch it at least three times. It’s the only game I’ve played. It represents my youth.”

Another netizen joked, “It’s time to show people what ‘brainless fans’ are like. ‘Warcraft’ may not be a good movie, but the box office will be strong because there are so many ‘brainless fans’ like me.”

Indeed, the mania is running rampant. By January 2014, there were well over 100 million registered accounts of “Warcraft” worldwide, with 5.8 million active players in China. More recent figures aren’t available.

Movies like “Warcraft” tap an escapist trend in entertainment, ushering people into worlds of science fiction and fantasy. Is such obsession healthy?

“Science fiction can place humanity in dramatic and extreme situations to test inner identity and strength, satisfying childhood heroic fantasies,” says Chinese-American psychologist William Wang. “The plots, in general, do not go beyond children’s cartoon movies, but it is the ‘science’ element that extends the market to adults.

“Of course,” he adds, “the technology of Hollywood is another huge attraction. In the US, the marketing of movies associated with fantasies is primarily targeting children and adolescents. The attraction to adults in China is an interesting phenomenon. I tend to think it is due, in part, to an unconscious regret for what was missed in childhood. That may not be true for everybody, but it could be that the open expression of emotion and opinion allowed in some areas balances out oppressed feelings about what is not allowed.”

Psychology aside, Hollywood is keenly aware of the Chinese market and eager to pander to it. Daniel Wu, a Hong Kong movie star, plays Gul’dan, a sinister orc warlock in “Warcraft.” And in the movie “Now You See Me 2,” the cast includes popular Taiwan singer and songwriter Jay Chou.

Chinese attempts to capitalize on this entertainment genre remain largely on the sidelines. This month, only three Chinese movies will be released: the China-South Korean crime saga “Memento,” adapted from a 2000 American noir thriller; the horror film “Fright Night,” and the Hong Kong comedy “ATM.”

Gewara says ticket sales for the domestic movies are generally poor and the period of screening may be short.

The market in special-effect fantasy and science fiction movies spills over into other commercial realms.

McDonald’s China has launched special “Warcraft” promotion this month. It is the second time the international food chain has linked up with “World of Warcraft,” according to Bob Li, general manager of McDonald’s Shanghai.

“The in-store promotion of ‘World of Warcraft’ creates excitement and a fun dining experience for our customers,” he says. “We have prepared a special meal for those who want to celebrate the new movie.”

Nostalgia seems to drive many fans into cinema seats. Hu Fengliang, 36, has just bought tickets for his wife and himself to watch the premiere of “Independence Day: Resurgence.”

“I remember watching ‘Independence Day’ in 1996 at the home of a classmate,” Hu recalls. “At the time, there were no imported Hollywood blockbusters screened in cinemas, so we watched videos. It was amazing to see extraterrestrial beings and all the high-tech special effects.”

The 1996 film, directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Will Smith, follows the fortunes of a disparate group of people converging in the desert and planning a counterattack to an invasion by alien monsters.

“Technology has developed so rapidly that I expect the new film will have much more to see,” says Hu.

Another fan, 33-year-old Michael Jia, says he was especially mesmerized by the aircraft in the original “Independence Day” film.

“Two things in the 1996 movie are still clear in my mind — the F18 aircraft and the rousing speech of the president at the end: ‘We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight’!” he says. “To me, the movie is about how to face and brave difficulties in life.”

However, his wife, Zhou Yuqiong, 30, a radio news editor in Shanghai, is less impressed.

“I am not a big fan of American blockbusters with fantastic high-tech special effects, commercial stories and elements only to sell tickets,” she says. “I think these sorts of movies are meaningless and only make a lot of noise.”