If you see Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich‘s names attached to a project in tandem, you’ve got a pretty good idea of what’s in store. Chances are very high that it’ll be an effects-driven fantasy movie with a heavy action element, almost certainly adapted from a pre-existing property of some description.
The approach has worked wonders from a box office perspective, with the Resident Evil franchise generating billions, but the husband-and-wife duo’s most recent effort didn’t fare so well. In fact, Monster Hunter came close to causing an international incident, and was pulled from Chinese screens less than 48 hours after premiering in local theaters.
A throwaway and admittedly terrible joke was interpreted as a racial slur, and before you knew it the producers and studio were issuing apologies for the dialogue, which effectively crippled Monster Hunter‘s chances of turning a profit. It did manage to top the domestic charts late last year, though, but failed to even recoup the $60 million budget.
However, the video game adaptation has been finding a new lease of life on streaming, where it’s currently the second most popular title on Amazon at the time of writing, as per FlixPatrol. It may have offended China, but Monster Hunter is clearly proving palatable enough for Prime subscribers.