Ip Man 2 gets U.S. theatrical distributor

Donnie Yen is Ip Man
Donnie Yen is Ip Man

Well Go USA has selected Variance Films to distribute Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster North America, in addition to future high-profile Asian films.

“With Well Go USA, we have finally found a partner that’s dedicated to releasing the best of Asian cinema while keeping the original vision of the film intact. With a cast of Hong Kong superstars — the most amazing martial arts I’ve seen on screen in years, and a wonderful story, Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster is the perfect film to start our partnership with”, said Variance Films’ Dylan Marchetti.

Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster is a stand-alone companion to the vastly successful Ip Man. Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster, starring Donnie Yen (Ip Man, Hero, Legend of the Fist), Sammo Hung (The Man from Hong Kong, The Iron-Fisted Monk, Project A), and director Wilson Yip (Ip Man, Dragon Tiger Gate), will release theatrically in the U.S. in February of 2011.

Escaping CGI, MTV-style editing, and blasting techno music for a return to skilled performers, ace choreography, and top-notch production, the Ip Man films have ushered in a new era of Hong Kong filmmaking. Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster is currently burning up the Asian box office charts (out-grossing Iron Man 2, Sex and the City 2 and Robin Hood combined in Hong Kong). Its theatrical release will remain in its original incarnation — uncut and un-dubbed, as the filmmakers originally intended. Its home entertainment release is slated to follow in Spring of 2011.

In Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster, Master Ip Man (Yen) is a new arrival in Hong Kong, and is struggling to open a martial arts school. Master Ip teaches a style of kung-fu known as Wing Chun from Northern China, which is initially ridiculed by the Hong Kong schools and their respective masters – especially Master Hung (Sammo Hung), the crooked leader of a cabal of masters who won’t allow Master Ip to teach until he proves himself and his kung-fu — which he does, in one of the most amazing fight sequences ever committed to film. Once Master Ip can earn the respect of the local masters, there’s still the matter of the corrupt British government and their desire to diminish the culture of Chinese martial arts in favor of traditional boxing.