L.A. based film distribution company, Azoland Pictures is proud to announce that they will partner with Well Go USA to release the international smash hit GINTAMA live-action film in theaters across the U.S. and Canada starting January 19, 2018. Ticket sales for participating theaters will begin today on the Azoland Pictures website.

The action comedy film directed by Yuichi Fukuda (HK: Forbidden Super Hero) is a live-action adaptation of a popular manga series created by author Hideaki Sorachi, which is currently serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine and has sold over 51 million copies worldwide. The film premiered in Japan this past July, where it earned a total of 3.84 billion yen (approximately 34 million U.S. dollars) and was the top-grossing live-action film of this summer, beating out other major film franchises. GINTAMA features an all-star cast including Shun Oguri (Space Pirate Captain Harlock [voice], Lupin the 3rd) playing Gintoki Sakata, Kanna Hashimoto (Assassination Classroom), as Kagura, Masaki Suda (Death Note: Light Up the New World) as Shinpachi Shimura, and Tsuyoshi Domoto (member of popular Japanese idol group KinkiKids) as Shinsuke Takasugi. The main theme song, “DECIDED,” is sung by the popular Japanese rock band UVERworld. The film will be featured in theaters in the original Japanese audio with English subtitles.

The film has also seen great success across Asia including Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand. In China, GINTAMA was the most featured Japanese live-action film to date, screening in over 8,000 theaters across the country and earning over $9 million U.S. dollars on its opening weekend.

Staff
Director: Yuichi Fukuda
Screenplay: Yuichi Fukuda
Cinematography: Tetsuya Kudo
Production Design: Noriyoshi Ikeya
Costume Design: Kazuhiro Sawataishi
Cast:
Gintoki Sakata: Shun Oguri
Shinpachi Shimura: Masaki Suda
Kagura: Kanna Hashimoto
Kotaro Katsura: Masaki Okada
Tae Shimura: Masami Nagasawa
Gengai Hiraga: Murotsuyoshi
Isao Kondo: Kankuro Nakamura
Toshiro Hijikata: Yuya Yagira
Sogo Okita: Ryo Yoshizawa
Testuya Murata: Ken Yasuda
Tetsuko Murata: Akari Hayami
Nizo Okada: Hirofumi Arai
Henpeita Takechi: Jiro Sato
Matako Kijima: Nanao
Shinsuke Takasugi: Tsuyoshi Domoto

About GINTAMA Live-Action Film
Based on the best-selling action comedy manga by Hideaki Sorachi, GINTAMA takes place in an alternate Edo-period Japan, where an Alien race has taken control, forcing Samurai to lay down their swords. Once feared as the “White Demon,” former samurai Gintoki Sakata now works as an everyday handyman – until a master swordsman tasks Gintoki and his friends with finding the cursed sword Benizakura to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Packed with the sword-swinging sci-fi action and offbeat humor that have made the manga a classic, GINTAMA is bound to delight both fans and anyone looking for a journey to a visually-stunning universe where fantastical action lurks just around every corner.

About Azoland Pictures, LLC
Azoland Pictures is a film distribution company that offers Japanese anime and live-action films to the audience in North America. The company also organizes Los Angeles Anime Film Festival and J-Pop events in the Los Angeles area. In 2017, Azoland Pictures has theatrically distributed Kizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu, Sword Art Online The Movie – Ordinal Scale – English dub, No Game No Life Zero, and Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] – I. Presage Flower. More information available at www.azolandpictures.com.

About Well Go USA Entertainment
Well Go USA Entertainment (www.wellgousa.com) is a theatrical and home entertainment distribution label that specializes in bringing top content, including the best in action, genre and independent films from the US and around the world, to North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go’s titles can be seen across a variety of platforms, including theatrical, digital, subscription and cable VOD, packaged media and broadcast television. Well Go USA Entertainment’s corporate headquarters is in Dallas, Texas, with offices in New York, Taiwan, and China.

Recent and upcoming Well Go USA Entertainment releases include Jung Byung-gil’s THE VILLAINESS, Jang Hoon’s A TAXI DRIVER, Chris Peckover’s BETTER WATCH OUT, Wong Jing’s CHASING THE DRAGON, and Don Coscarelli’s PHANTASM franchise.