Star Cinema to distribute new Jackie Chan movie

International superstar Jackie Chan in a scene from the upcoming movie, "Chinese Zodiac"

MANILA, Philippines – Star Cinema is branching out to foreign film distribution starting with Asian superstar Jackie Chan’s latest movie “Chinese Zodiac,” which hits Philippine theaters on January 30.

This is the first time ABS-CBN’s film production arm will be distributing a foreign film.

Filipinos will get to see “Chinese Zodiac” ahead of the film’s U.S. release, which is slated for the first or second quarter of this year.

Reported to be Chan's last major action movie (although the actor clarified that he will still be working on films), “Chinese Zodiac” recently made headlines when it become the highest grossing film ever in China, earning $34.6 million in just four days.

Shot in eight countries, the high-budget action-comedy-adventure movie tells the story of an adventurer and treasure hunter named JC (Chan) who travels the world to search for and retrieve all the stolen bronze heads of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

The sculptures were looted from the Summer Palace in Beijing when the city was sacked by European armies in the 19th century. Although there’s an international campaign in progress to demand the return of stolen cultural treasures to their countries of origin, JC is in it strictly for the money. But as events take unexpected turns and strange alliances take shape, motives begin to change.

“Chinese Zodiac,” which Chan also directed, features both Hollywood and Asian actors including Oliver Platt, Laura Weissbecker, Liao Fan, Yao Xing Tong, Zhang Lan Xin and Korean heartthrob Kwon Sang-woo, who is more known to Filipinos from his role in the hit Koreanovela “Stairway to Heaven.”