The sequel to international hit movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has had mixed reviews from Chinese audiences, despite raking in more than 175 million yuan in its first five days. How will the movie fare, now that it's premiered in the U.S.?

Chinese-Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh has waited since 2000 to revisit the supernatural world of the original "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

"What was most satisfying was that the general audience, you know the big audience, embraced this culture, this Chinese culture, (speaks in Mandarin) world that we know so well, and we've always wanted to share it. But it's not easy to suddenly accept seeing warriors being able to fly with a single bound and leap across rooftops and things like that," Yeoh said.

"But you know Ang Lee made a really poetic, beautiful masterpiece, and it's opened that world, and now I think 16 years later we are just drawing you deeper into that world and trying to show you in this film the different warriors that live by that incredible code."

In "Sword of Destiny", Yeoh reprises the career-defining role she played in the first movie.

"Yu Shu Lien is a character that I love. From the first day that I met her, I felt that she represents Chinese women well. She has inner beauty, and she's a heroine with a loving heart. To play her again 16 years later, I felt that she's ascended to a different level. She leads a reclusive life, and she's a true heroine. To protect the Sword of Destiny is a promise she made, and that's why she returned," Yeoh said.

"Sword of Destiny" also stars Harry Shum Jr., who was born in Costa Rica and raised in the U.S. He recalled how the original film brought him closer to his parents when it premiered in 2000.

In her first movie appearance, Australian actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo plays Yeoh's apprentice. She explained how her martial-arts background was little help on set.

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny" is now playing in China. It will be released on February the 26th in the U.S. on Netflix and in select theaters.