Why Henry Cavill's Night Hunter (2019) Bombed at the Box Office
Night Hunter had a big-name star, a stacked supporting cast, and a plot about hunting down a serial predator. It also made just over $1 million worldwide and vanished almost instantly. So what went wrong?
Released in 2019 (after sitting on a shelf since 2018), Night Hunter starred Henry Cavill as a Minnesota detective tracking a serial abductor with the help of a psychologist, played by Alexandra Daddario. There's also a vigilante ex-judge (Ben Kingsley), an ex-wife (Minka Kelly), and a police commissioner (Stanley Tucci) in the mix.
But despite all the moving parts, the movie never lands. The story relies on twists that don't pay off, characters that never develop, and a finale that feels like it gave up halfway through. It's grim without being gripping, and familiar without being fun. The script borrows heavily from better thrillers and never figures out what to do with Cavill, who spends most of the film looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.
The Cast Was Wasted
On paper, the film's cast looks impressive: Cavill, Kingsley, Tucci, Daddario, Nathan Fillion, Minka Kelly — all in one movie. But on screen? Barely anyone gets enough to work with. Daddario gets kidnapped, Tucci lectures people, Fillion pops in and disappears, and Kelly is mostly there for backstory. Even Cavill, in a rare non-superhero role, seems underused.
The Release Strategy Made Things Worse
Night Hunter premiered on DirecTV On Demand a full month before it hit theaters. By the time it got a limited release, anyone who wanted to see it already had. It didn't help that the film had been finished since 2018 and sat unreleased for over a year after screening at the LA Film Festival.
With zero buzz and next to no marketing, it grossed just over $1 million globally — not exactly franchise-starter numbers.
Critics Hated It — Audiences Were Mildly Polite
On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie scored a brutal 14% from critics. Audiences were a little more generous, giving it a 50% rating — not great, but not unwatchable either. It later popped up on Paramount+, where it quietly gained some streaming traction.
Bottom line: Night Hunter had the cast, the premise, and the budget for a decent thriller. What it didn't have was a script that worked, or a release plan that gave it a fighting chance. Even with Superman in the lead, there was no saving this one.