Gun heavy film banned in US twice now available on UK Netflix
The Hunt, which sees a group of strangers gathered up and hunted for sport by a group of wealthy liberal elites on a mission for revenge after their own cancellations.
Directed by Craig Zobel and produced by hitmaker Jason Blum, the movie stars Hilary Swank, Betty Gilpin, Ike Barinholtz, Emma Roberts and Justin Hartley, it dropped to the streaming service over the weekend and follows a group of strangers who
Initially scheduled to hit cinemas in September 2019, The Hunt’s release date was delayed by Universal Pictures following mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas that summer.
Explaining its decision to delay the film in a statement, Universal said: “While Universal Pictures had already paused the marketing campaign for The Hunt, after thoughtful consideration, the studio has decided to cancel our plans to release the film.
“We stand by our filmmakers and will continue to distribute films in partnership with bold and visionary creators, like those associated with this satirical social thriller, but we understand that now is not the right time to release this film.”
The Hunt was moved to a March 2020 release date where it was inadvertently canceled again.
The controversial film had its release date moved to March 2020, hitting screens one week before worldwide cinema closures
The controversial film had its release date moved to March 2020, hitting screens one week before worldwide cinema closures (Image: Netflix)
Indeed, the film’s eventual arrival in cinemas was tragically short-lived due to cinema closures across the globe in the wake of coronavirus restrictions.
Speaking in June last year, The Hunt executive producer Jason Blum claimed the surrounding controversy “destroyed” the film before audiences even had a chance to see it.
He told IndieWire: “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.
