Well Go USA Acquires Korean Blockbuster 'The Thieves'

Well Go USA has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Dong-hoo Choi's heist film "The Thieves," which opened in Korea over the summer and became the highest-grossing film in the country's history. Its North American theatrical release will be Oct. 12. 

"The Thieves," which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, features some of Korea's biggest stars, including Jung Jae-Lee and Hyse-su Kim, as five elite thieves working together to steal the Tear of the Sun, a massive diamond worth 20 million dollars locked inside a casino vault. The team must break into the vault and steal the diamond without attracting the attention of the police while internal betrayal and mischief threatens the operation.

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

Pfardrescher negotiated the deal with Judy Ahn of Showbox/Mediaplex Inc.

Well Go USA specializes in bringing independent Asian cinema to North America, and it has released the war drama "The Front Line" and the Oscar-nominated short "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale." Well Go recently acquired the Chinese remake of "Dangerous Liaisons" at Toronto.