Leading actress Zhang Ziyi

Geisha will be released February 9th in China as one of the first 20 foreign films of 2006 allowed by law to share box office revenue in the world's most populous nation, Sony executives said Wednesday.

Though Geisha may follow Peter Jackson's King Kong, which United International Picutres executives say they hope will open January 13th in China, the Columbia Pictures' film, which stars Chinese idols Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi opposite Japan's Ken Watanabe, is already getting more attention in China and provoking strong opinions in Chinese Internet chat rooms, fueled by the two countries' historically strained relations.

Geisha, which had its world premiere November 29th in Japan, was approved for nationwide release in China by the State Administration of Radio Film and Television, Sony Pictures Releasing International senior executive vp Mark Zucker said.