“Monster Hunter” Film Producers Follow Issues Management Principles to Halt PR Crisis

December 2020

The producers of the new movie “Monster Hunter” took swift and direct action to avoid a potential PR crisis that could have damaged their reputations.  

The movie, which was co-produced by German company Constantin Film and Chinese company Tencent Films, and distributed by Sony, is based on a popular video game. It contains a scene that many Chinese audiences found racist and offensive due to confusing translations in subtitles.  

Due to the backlash over the scene, the film was quickly pulled from theaters – a good first step taken by the companies.  

But the steps taken by the companies to repair any wrongdoing created by the movie didn’t stop there. Rather, the film’s producers, director, and even its stars have moved forward in the right direction, following key principles of issues management to reign in spreading opposition to the film.  

5 Smart Issue Management Principles

The issue management principles taken by the producers include: 

1 Acknowledge There’s an Issue: The film’s producers listened to the outcry from Chinese viewers, and recognized that there was an issue that needed to be addressed.   

2 Take Immediate Action: As a result, the producers contacted all theaters showing the film in order to stop it from being shown any further.  

3 Compensate Customers: Not only did the producers pull the film, they told movie theaters to refund all payments of the movie to customers.  

4 Communicate with Stakeholders: Constantin Film, director Paul W.S. Anderson, and co-stars Jin Au-Yeung (who was in the scene) and Milla Jovovich have all come forward with apologies for the mistake.  

5 State How You’ll Correct the Issue: The producers have stated they will remove the offending scene from “Monster Hunter” in an effort to re-release the film in China.  

Although some damage had been done following the initial release of the film, the producers took appropriate action in order to control and rectify their error – even if it meant financial losses in halting showings, refunding audiences and re-editing the film.  

We will have to wait to see if these actions are enough to bring Chinese audiences back to the film once it’s re-released. 

For more Key Fundamentals of a Crisis Communication Plan, check out some of our other case studies.  

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