Money No Enough 3

Money No Enough 3: Mark Lee, Henry Thia, Xiang Yun and Jack Neo try to predict how much their movie will rake in during the CNY holidays.

Jack Neo has a week head start — which leaves more wiggle room for the other releases  —  with the third instalment to his cash-crunch comedy franchise that started in 1998. Neo (who’s also the director), Mark Lee and Henry Thia play another trio of buddies whose friendship is put to the test by their financial struggles. The 137-minute comedy — about 12 minutes shorter than The King of Musang King — also stars Xiang Yun, Patricia Mok and Tang Miaoling. Product placement watchers, stay sharp!

Opens: Feb 1

Photos: Clover Films

Argylle

Argylle: Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell take their spy games seriously. 

Going head-to-head with Jack Neo is the latest action-comedy from The Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn. Bryce Dallas Howard stars a spy author whose best-selling books contain secrets to real-life spy games. So where does fiction end and reality begin? Enter Sam Rockwell’s international man of mystery to help her figure out which is which. Unlike The Kingsman trilogy, the mayhem here is PG-rated, so it’s safe for the kiddos. The star-studded cast also includes Henry Cavill, John Cena, Ariana Debose, Bryan Cranston and Catherine O’Hara.  

Opens: Feb 1 

Photos: UIP

Oversteer

Oversteer: Aden Tan thinks this car needs some diesel...Vin Diesel. 

And having the Jupiter-sized cojones to drop a day before Money No Enough 3 is this self-distributed local indie touted as Singapore’s first car-racing movie (it was shot in Malaysia, though — still counts?). Aden Tan (Invisible Stories) stars as a young man whose passion for cars leads him to fall out with his family (Zhang Yaodong as the disapproving father!). Only at GV Vivocity and GV Yishun.  

Opens: Jan 31

Photos: Vogue Films

All In

All In: Namewee, Wayne Thong and Jack Lim test out the invisible foot-rests. 

From our neighbours in the north comes this comedy starring Jack Lim as poker player Cheng whose skills are ‘transferred’ to simpleton café assistant Huang  (Namewee) in an accident — just days before his showdown with the reigning champ (Philip Keung).  Can Cheng and Huang work together to beat their adversary? The movie also stars Wang Lei, Yumi Wong, Yuen Teng and Xiao Yu. Not based on a true story. We think.

Photo: mm2 Entertainment

Fat Hope

Fat Hope: Lin Yu-Pin and Alien Huang shop for lights. 

Update: This title has been pulled from the slate.

Six years after completion, the rom-com starring the late Alien Huang finally sees the light of day. The Taiwanese singer-host plays the confidante to a snobbish model (Lin Yu-pin) who gains a few pounds after someone puts a curse on her. You know, beautiful people problems. The movie, which also stars Liu Lingling, has been somewhat low-key since the teaser drop in September. Should we worry?

Opens: Feb 8

Photos: Encore Films

Spy x Family - Code: White

Spy x Family - Code White: It's family excursion time! 

The movie spin-off of the popular anime series sees the Forgers — spy Loid and assassin Yor and their telepathic adopted daughter Anya — entangled in yet another operation that threatens world peace.

Opens: Feb 8

Photo: Encore Films

Rob N' Roll

Rob N' Roll: Aaron Kwok isn't happy that Gordon Lam Ka-Tung and Richie Jen have taken him for a ride. 

Aaron Kwok puts on buck-teeth dentures to play a robber who forces two middle-age losers (Gordon Lam Ka-Tung and Richie Jen) to join him on a heist spree. It looks like Money No Enough but with guns. Lots of guns. 

Opens: Feb 8

Photo: Shaw Organisation

Turning Red

Turning Red:Okay, who farted? 

Two years ago, Disney opted to launch Pixar’s first Asian-led feature straight to streaming instead of dropping it in the cinemas during CNY. Now, it looks like they decided to make up for the lost opportunity by re-releasing the movie on the big screen during, er, CNY. Hey, it’s the thought that counts, right? The Oscar-nominated coming-of-age tale follows a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian girl (voiced by Rosalie Chiang) who turns into a giant red panda when she gets excited, especially over boybands. Sandra Oh plays the girl’s domineering mother.

Opens: Feb 8

Photos: Disney

The Movie Emperor

The Movie Emperor: Pretty sure Andy Lau has a good reason for doing this. 

After two back-to-back crime movies, it’s nice to see Andy Lau in a comedy for a change. In this meta showbiz satire, he plays a heightened version of himself — named Dany Lau — who, after suffering a series of PR woes, figures that the best way to win back the audience is via the film festival circuit. That leads him to star in an indie drama — as a village pig farmer. Come again?

Photos: mm2 Entertainment