Well Go USA

Well Go USA, Inc.
Industry Film distribution
Founded 1991
Headquarters Plano, Texas, United States
Website www.wellgousa.com

Well Go USA Entertainment (or Well Go USA, Inc.) is an American independent theatrical and home entertainment distribution company founded in 1991. Based in Plano, Texas, and with offices in New York and Taiwan, it specializes in the distribution of Asian, independent, and genre films to North America and other parts of the world. It is one of the largest distributors of East and Southeast Asian films in the United States.[1]

History

Well Go USA was started in 1991 and it was incorporated in 1994 in Plano, Texas, by Annie Walker, daughter of award-winning Chinese cinematographer Ho-Hsi Chi.[2] With its beginnings in karaoke distribution, the company gradually expanded into distribution of sport and instructional DVDs and children's programming, among others.

In 2008, Well Go USA began releasing various Shaw Brothers martial arts and wuxia classics on DVD under the brand Sword Masters, including Two Champions of Shaolin[3] and Brothers Five.[4] Well Go's distribution of Shaw Brothers films on DVD continued on into 2014 and included the release of Sword Masters: Death Duel starring Derek Yee, who would go on to direct the remake of the film in 2016.[5]

With the release of Geisha Assassin on DVD in 2009, Well Go USA also entered the scene of Asian horror and genre film distribution. Yoon Jae-Yeon's horror film Yoga was Well Go's first Korean title.

The acquisition of the Ip Man films in 2010 marked the beginning of Well Go USA's entry in the Asian martial arts and action industries as a major distributor.[6] In 2010, Well Go USA released the first Ip Man film (released originally in 2008 in Hong Kong) on DVD and Blu-ray.[7] And in January 2016, Well Go USA released Ip Man 3.[8]

In July 2016, Well Go announced its plan to release Don Coscarelli's 1979 cult horror film Phantasm in a version newly remastered by J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot Productions, as well as the fifth and final installment of the Phantasm franchise, Phantasm: Ravager.[9] Both films were released theatrically on October 7, 2016.[10]

Recent English-language acquisitions by Well Go include Buster's Mal Heart, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016 and stars Rami Malek; and Mine, a 2016 Italian-American film starring Armie Hammer.[11]

On January 27, 2017 it was announced that Doris Pfardrescher, President and CEO of Well Go USA, would be executive producer of the 2018 Fox 2000 film The Beauty Inside, which will be a remake of the South Korean film of the same name and star Emilia Clarke.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Lowry, Mark. "A Family Affair: How Plano-based Well Go USA/Entertainment became a top distributor of Asian action films in America." theaterjones.com. Retrieved 17 Jan 2017.
  2. ↑ Lowry, Mark. "A Family Affair: How Plano-based Well Go USA/Entertainment became a top distributor of Asian action films in America." theaterjones.com. Retrieved 17 Jan 2017.
  3. ↑ Sword Masters: Two Champions of Shaolin *Shaw Brothers*, retrieved 17 Jan 2017.
  4. ↑ Sword Masters: Brothers Five, retrieved 17 Jan 2017.
  5. ↑ "Film Review: Sword Master - Derek Yee remakes Shaw Brothers classic Death Duel as martial arts spectacle." South China Morning Post. 30 Nov 2016. Retrieved 17 Jan 2017.
  6. ↑ KMiller. "Well Go USA Acquires the Ip Man Films." martialartsmoviejunkie.com. Retrieved 17 Jan 2017.
  7. ↑ "Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster." boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 17 Jan 2017.
  8. ↑ "Ip Man 3." boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 17 Jan 2017.
  9. ↑ Amaya, Erik. "Well Go To Release Remastered Phantasm And New Sequel." bleedingcool.com. 28 Jul 2016. Retrieved 27 Jan 2017.
  10. ↑ Collis, Clark. "Phantasm: Remastered, Phantasm: Ravager coming to theaters this fall." ew.com. 28 Jul 2016. Retrieved 27 Jan 2017.
  11. ↑ McNary, Dave. "Armie Hammer's Military Thriller 'Mine' Bought by Well Go USA." variety.com. 7 Jul 2016. Retrieved 2 Feb 2017.
  12. ↑ Fleming Jr., Mike. "Fox 2000 Wins $2M Pitch Deal For 'The Beauty Inside'; GoT's Emilia Clarke to Star." deadline.com. 27 Jan 2017. Retrieved 2 Feb 2017.

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