By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

POST-TIFF, WELL GO USA ACQUIRES N.A. RIGHTS TO KOREAN BLOCKBUSTER THE THIEVES, FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 12

Posted Thursday, September 27th, 2012 - Comments Off on POST-TIFF, WELL GO USA ACQUIRES N.A. RIGHTS TO KOREAN BLOCKBUSTER THE THIEVES, FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 12
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PLANO, TEXAS.  (September 27, 2012) — Coming off the North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Well Go USA has acquired all rights for the North American market to Korea’s summer blockbuster heist actioner The Thieves from Showbox / Mediaplex Inc.  The North American theatrical release is set for October 12.

Written and directed by Dong-hoo Choi (Woochi, The Big Swindle, Tazza: The High Rollers), the film stars Yun-seok Kim  (The Chaser, Puncher), Hye-soo Kim (Hypnotized, Tazza: The High Rollers), Jung-jae Lee (Typhoon), Gianna Jun (My Sassy Girl, Blood: The Last Vampire), Simon Yam (Ip Man, Election), Hae-sook Kim (Thirst), Dal-soo Oh (Old Boy) and Angelica Lee (The Eye).  The Thieves has grossed over $82M in South Korea, making it the country’s most successful theatrical release of all time.

The deal was brokered between Doris Pfardrescher, President, Well Go USA Entertainment and Judy Ahn, Head of Int’l Business, Showbox / Mediaplex Inc.

“After we saw the film at the Festival we knew it would be a perfect addition to our fall slate,” said Pfardrescher.  “Dong-hoo Choi is a rare talent and his filmmaking style is a perfect fit for North American audiences.

The Thieves synopsis:

Five thieves at the top of their game, and the crew is assembling for their biggest job yet.

Popie [Jung Jae-Lee] is the muscle and brains, Pepsee [Hye-su Kim] is the safecracker. Yenicall [Giann Jun] climbs walls, Zampano [Soo Hyun Kim] is the strategy man, and Chewingum [Hae-suk Kim] is the master of disguise. But this new score – it’s hot. Maybe too hot. But who can resist the Tear of The Sun: a 318-carat diamond, worth 20 million dollars, and locked away in a casino.

The vault is impenetrable, the location covered in cops, and everyone knows there’s no honor among thieves – especially not the crew Macao Park [Yun-seok Kim], Popie’s old partner, has forced their team to work with.  As they gear up and stroll into the casino with a plan, skills, and a whole lot of nerve, they quickly learn that avoiding the cops may not be their toughest problem.

What’s Macao Park’s real motive? Who will betray them all? And who will walk away with the diamond?

About Well Go USA

Well Go USA, Inc. (www.wellgousa.com) is a theatrical and home entertainment distribution company that specializes in bringing top content, including the best in Asian Cinema to North America. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go’s titles can be seen across a variety of formats and platforms including in theaters, on DVD, Blu-ray, digital (video-on-demand, electronic sell-through and streaming) and broadcast television through cable and satellite. Since 1994, Well Go has acquired and released over 2,000 titles worldwide. In 2005, Well Go expanded its distribution to North America where five to ten titles are released monthly. Well Go USA’s corporate headquarters are in Plano, TX with offices in Taiwan and China.

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