By Richard Ren

On the morning of July 23 (Los Angeles time), Well Go USA Entertainment announced that the Chinese film Dear You will be released in theaters across the United States and Canada on September 4.

The announcement is, in itself, welcome news. The film has enjoyed both commercial success and critical acclaim in China and made its North American premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival earlier this month. With a new theatrical release date now confirmed, Dear You is finally back on track for its North American rollout.

Yet beyond the new release date lies a more significant story: the distributor has indeed changed.

As I predicted in my commentary earlier this month, Last-Minute Withdrawal, Distributor Change? The Credibility of Chinese Cinema’s Global Expansion Is Worth Protecting, the film’s originally announced North American distributor, CMC Pictures, has been replaced by Well Go USA Entertainment.

This marks what appears to be an unprecedented case in the history of Chinese film distribution in North America. The film was officially scheduled for release on June 26, only to be abruptly withdrawn shortly before opening, before resurfacing with a different distributor and a new release date.

Changing distribution partners is not, by itself, unusual. Business negotiations evolve, licensing agreements change, and marketing strategies are often revised.

The issue is not that the distributor changed.

The issue is how it changed.

For more than a month between the withdrawal and the new release announcement, no public explanation was offered to the North American market. When Well Go USA issued its July 23 press release, it focused on the film’s story, director, cast, and success in China, along with praise from the company’s leadership. However, it made no mention of the previously announced June 26 release, the sudden withdrawal, or the reason for the change in distributors.

For casual moviegoers, this episode may have gone largely unnoticed. But for theater exhibitors, media partners, distributors, and industry professionals who closely follow the international expansion of Chinese cinema, it is difficult to ignore.

Release dates can change. Distribution rights can change. These are normal aspects of the film business. But in the mature North American marketplace, when a major release undergoes such significant changes, providing timely and transparent communication to partners and audiences is itself a hallmark of professionalism.

Earlier this month, I wrote:

“The absence of timely and transparent public communication not only affects the confidence of business partners, but also risks undermining trust in the distribution system behind Chinese films.”

That observation remains just as relevant today.

Chinese cinema is making an increasingly ambitious push into overseas markets, and more outstanding films are reaching North American audiences than ever before. That is unquestionably encouraging.

But trust in the international marketplace is built not only on the quality of the films themselves. It also depends on a distribution system that is professional, reliable, and predictable.

With more than a month remaining before the September 4 release, one hopes Dear You will finally reach North American audiences without further unexpected developments.

At the same time, one question remains:

Shouldn’t the filmmakers offer North American audiences, theater partners, and the Hollywood professionals who continue to support and follow Chinese cinema a clear and public explanation for the withdrawal, postponement, and distributor change?

Perhaps such an explanation is not a legal obligation.

But it is an expression of respect for the market—and a level of professionalism that Chinese cinema should embrace as it continues its journey onto the global stage.

After all, what deserves protecting is not merely a film’s overseas release schedule, but the credibility that Chinese cinema has been steadily building in the international marketplace.