The Wall Street Journal reports the movie, made by Blumhouse Productions, had a story line that seemed designed to stoke political divisions in the country. It followed a team of jet-setting elites who hunt “normal folk” from states like Florida and Mississippi for sport.
It had been scheduled for release on Sept. 27. There are no current plans to release the film in theaters at a later date or send it straight to home video, according to a person familiar with the matter.
With a modest budget of $15 million, “The Hunt” is the latest release from Blumhouse, a horror-movie company that has become critical to Universal’s release strategy, thanks to inexpensive, socially relevant releases like “Get Out.” One of its most popular franchises, “The Purge,” recently had an installment titled “Election Year” that featured neo-Nazi characters.
Walt Disney Co. ’s ESPN stopped plans to air television ads for “The Hunt” last weekend, following the back-to-back mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, the first sign that the movie may have been problematic.
A few days later, Universal suspended its marketing campaign for the movie, including television advertisements on major networks. Some conservative media outlets criticized the movie for a narrative that appeared to glorify Americans killing fellow citizens, and parent company Comcast for its public silence on the matter.
President Trump also took a swipe at the movie industry on Friday, tweeting that “Liberal Hollywood is Racist” and that “The Hunt” was “made in order to inflame and cause chaos.”
Trump himself has been under fire from Democrats who say his rhetoric and warnings of an immigrant invasion have helped fan the flames of white supremacy and ultimately contributed to race-based violence.
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