In a new interview with ComicBook.com (via The Playlist), producer Jason Blum (also the head of production company Blumhouse) revealed his regrets over the firestorm surrounding the movie tanking its chances at a successful release. The movie, starring Betty Gilpin, centers around a group of strangers who are hunted for sport by elitists, working in the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory.

“The pre-release controversy of ‘The Hunt’ ruined the whole movie,” Blum said. “I mean, it ruined the release of the movie. ‘The Hunt’ was going to be a big hit movie, and the controversy before the movie destroyed the release of the movie. When I get asked what’s my biggest regret running the company, it’s that no one got to see ‘The Hunt’ because of that controversy. That controversy is horrible. It was bad. It was controversy about a movie no one had seen. People were making up stuff about a movie they had not seen, and I really hope it never happens again.” Related Jason Blum’s Blumhouse and James Wan’s Atomic Monster in Advanced Talks to Merge ‘Nanny’ Trailer: Nikyatu Jusu’s Sundance-Winning Thriller Unravels the American Dream Related Oscars 2023: Remarkable Transformations Lead the Way in Makeup and Hairstyling 51 Directors’ Favorite Horror Movies: Bong Joon Ho, Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro, and More
Blum added, “I’m worrying about it happening before every movie. If we have controversy before a movie, it can wreck the release…But what can you do? I don’t worry too much. I can’t control it.” Blum addressed the controversy ahead of the release of “The Forever Purge,” the final bow of a franchise comprised of one politically outspoken film after another. The latest installment in the violent movie series arrives in theaters on July 2. “The Hunt” director Craig Zobel, who recently helmed the HBO miniseries “Mare of Easttown,” spoke out at the time of the movie’s release after Donald Trump singled it out as a product of Hollywood liberalism designed to influence politics. “I felt like it had been colossally misunderstood,” Zobel told IndieWire. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.