'Superheroes' to battle in 2013 box-office

The first quarter of 2013 is looking to be an exciting one for Chinese-language films. Some of the biggest names in the Asian film industry will be showing their latest works, including Chow Yun Fat, Zhang Zi Yi, Wong Kar Wai and Stephen Chow. Here is a preview of some of the most anticipated films of 2013.

Kicking off the 2013 are a list of superheroes.

Award winning director Wong Kar Wai's Kung Fu epic "The Grandmaster", starring Tony Leung, Zhang Zi Yi and Chen Chang, is set to hit the big screen early January in China. The story focuses on the life of Ip Man, the master of the Wing Chun school of martial arts, and on his rivalry with other Kung Fu masters of his era.

"The Grandmaster" is Wong's first Kung Fu film. It was more than a decade in the making, and expectations are high. It will open the 2013 Berlin Film Festival in February.

And the monkey king is coming back in comedic genius Stephen Chow's new film "Journey to the West". The classic Chinese mythology movie is about the pilgrimage of the monkey king, who accompanies a Buddhist monk to retrieve a sacred Buddhist text in the Western Region. Although he won't be acting in the new film, fans will still get a taste of Chow's unique sense of humor.

"Journey to the West" stars Chinese actors Huang Bo, Wen Zhang, and Shu Qi as the three leads. It is set for release in China in early February, right before the Chinese New Year.

Also on the comedic side is a Chinese superman Starring Chen Bo Lin, "Machi Action" is a film about an actor who plays the role of a superhero on a television show. When his contract isn't renewed by his employers, the "superhero" struggles to survive as a working actor and is forced to take a hard look at his life.

"Machi Action" is produced by writer and director Giddens Ko, from Taiwan. Ko's first film "You Are the Apple of My Eye" took the Asian box office by storm in 2011, becoming the surprise hit of that year. "Machi Action" will be released on January 18th.