Jason Blum Gets Real About The Controversy Surrounding The Hunt
Having produced "The Purge" and "Get Out," Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions is no stranger to backing politically charged movies that pack a bloody punch. He isn't the type of corporate bigwig who stifles the creative process, which is refreshing in an age where many mainstream films stick to Hollywood's most popular trends. As Fast Company points out, Blumhouse lets filmmakers have creative freedom over their projects, and this approach has led to some of the most original and acclaimed genre fare to hit screens in recent years. The studio's business model has also translated to success at the box office, so Blumhouse executives must have felt confident that "The Hunt" could replicate those numbers prior to its release.
Unfortunately, "The Hunt" wasn't met with the same enthusiasm as other Blumhouse releases. This was due to its controversial subject matter. The film's story revolves around a group of elitist liberals hunting rural conservatives for sport. Basically, it's the same hunters-become-the-hunted concept made most famous in "The Most Dangerous Game" with another jolt of contemporary political satire thrown in the mix, and it rubbed people the wrong way from the get-go.
Now, over a year after "The Hunt" hit theaters in March 2020, Blum has spoken out about the controversy surrounding the film.
Jason Blum hopes this never happens again
Originally scheduled for a September 2019 release, "The Hunt" was delayed due to the El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio shootings that took place in August of that year (via the Hollywood Reporter). When it came time to try again in 2020, the film caught the attention of Donald Trump, who lambasted it on Twitter for being another Hollywood production that took aim at conservatives (per USA Today). On the flip side of the coin, some left-leaning viewers read the plot synopsis for "The Hunt" and assumed it painted liberals as the villains. Talk about a public backlash, right? And this was all before anyone had even had an opportunity to see the movie and understand its context.
In reality, "The Hunt" is a nuanced film that doesn't pick any side in the political debate, and Jason Blum wishes people gave it a chance before they jumped to severe conclusions. "It was controversy about a movie no one had seen," Blum told ComicBook.com in June 2021. "People were making up stuff about a movie they had not seen, and I really hope it never happens again."
However, the producer is wary of future movies being dismissed so easily: "I'm worried 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."