Monster Hunter series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto says there's still an appetite at Capcom to make another live-action movie after 2020's Paul W.S. Anderson-directed box office bomb.
"Speaking as producer and also as overall series producer in the past, I'm definitely interested in the idea of revisiting a Monster Hunter movie if the stars align in future," Tsujimoto told Postmode.
But, of course, we need to talk about the Gammoth in the room: 2020's Monster Hunter, to put it mildly, was not a success.
Yes, its low box office (under $50 million) can be partly attributed to a cinematic landscape emerging from the after-effects of COVID-mandated shutdowns, but a 45% score on Rotten Tomatoes and scathing reappraisals in the years since has done nothing to help Monster Hunter's cause. Hot off the heels of Zach Cregger's Resident Evil – an adaptation of another beloved Capcom property – it only holds up worse.
Still, that hasn't deterred Tsujimoto, nor the wider Capcom shot-callers.
"Capcom as a whole, not just Monster Hunter, has said publicly that it's putting real effort into film and visual media," Tsujimoto underlined. "Within that, we're of course very interested in Monster Hunter on screen and want to do it in the future. But it's not something we can do on our own."
There, then, is the rub. Much like Monster Hunter's beastie-thwacking gameplay, it requires a team effort to get the job done. To that end, Tsujimoto seemingly requires a certain set of conditions to be met before trying again.
"It depends on the companies involved, on a director, on timing," Tsujimoto said. "And we'd need to think hard about what we want to depict. The desire is there, but it happens when the timing and those things line up. We want to do it in the future."
Elsewhere, Monster Hunter Wilds is receiving a new expansion, titled Ascendance. It promises new gear, new locations and – of course – new monsters to hunt. It's set for release on PC, Xbox Series X, and PS5 next year.
For more, check out the new PS5 games and upcoming Xbox Series X games in the works, then cast an eye towards the upcoming video game movies that are on the way soon.
