(file photo)

There's nothing wrong with being a patriot, said Wu Jing, director of the Chinese blockbuster Wolf Warrior 2, in response to criticism by the BBC, who has called it a "nationalist action film."

Wolf Warrior 2 has created a new box office record, raking in 5 billion yuan. By Aug. 18, 140 million people in China watched the film, surpassing the Titanic to become the most viewed film in a single market.

However, reports by overseas media have focused on words such as "nationalism" and "patriotism" rather than positive description.

Recently, the BBC published an article under the title of "Wolf Warrior 2: The nationalist action film storming China," calling the move a story of nationalism.

However, the UK media outlet obviously made a mistake when translating a line in the film: "fanwozhonghuazhe, suiyuanbizhu." It means anyone who attacks China will be dealt with, no matter the distance. But the author misinterpreted it as anyone who offends China.

The translation is no doubt misleading because the difference between "offend" and "attack" is obvious enough. People might be confused about the real intention of the movie when self defense is interpreted as retaliatory attack.

"That is the tagline for Wolf Warriors 2, the Chinese box office hit that is equal parts testosterone-fuelled machismo - think blazing guns, explosions, and tanks - and chest-thumping Chinese patriotism," the article said further.

Nationalism has negative connotation in English, and it is often used to describe irrational reactions of blind arrogance.

When asked about this article during an interview, Wu responded in a serious manner: "I don't care who you are, there's nothing wrong with being a patriot because I'm Chinese."

"Of course, people are entitled to their opinions," he explained, questioning why some people are criticizing him for his patriotism.