SINGAPORE - Due to the virus outbreak in Wuhan, four films originally slated to be shown in cinemas here during the Chinese New Year period have been put on hold until further notice.

They are action flick The Rescue, starring Eddie Peng; action movie Vanguard, starring Jackie Chan; animated feature Jiang Zi Ya: Legend Of Deification; and thriller-action-comedy Detective Chinatown 3.

mm2 Entertainment, which is distributing Vanguard and Detective Chinatown 3, said in a statement released on Thursday (Jan 23): "In light of the novel Coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak, we have just received the news that both movies will be put on hold until further notice."

It added: "Our hearts go out to all affected and we wish everyone a joyous and healthy Chinese New Year."

On the Hardwarezone forum, a netizen on Thursday posted a notice about refunds from Cathay Cineplexes to those who had bought advance tickets to the four affected movies.

"We regret to inform you that due to the Wuhan pneumonia outbreak in China, the Chinese studios have made the difficult decision to delay the global releases of their Chinese New Year movies," said the notice from Cathay Cineplexes, which is owned by mm2 Asia.

Movies with their release dates moved up include South Korean comedy Secret Zoo (PG13, 118 minutes, opens Jan 25), about an attempt to save a zoo facing bankruptcy; Taiwanese romance Your Love Song (PG, 119 minutes, opens Jan 25), which revolves around two teachers who encourage their students with a passion for music to form a band to take part in a singing competition; and Malaysian holiday comedy A Moment Of Happiness (PG, 84 minutes, opens Jan 25).

And sneaks for Oscar-nominated sexual harassment drama Bombshell (NC16, 109 minutes, opens Jan 30) begin on Jan 25.

Festive titles not affected include the currently showing comedy Enter The Fat Dragon, which features action star Donnie Yen in a fat suit, and Hong Kong romantic comedy All's Well, Ends Well 2020 is still slated to open on Jan 25.