Citizen Vigilante was applauded by many far-right activists in X, even though others criticized the film, not only for its politics but for its weak plot, cheap-looking special effects and abundance of gore.

After the publicity push, Boll estimated that the film grossed around $600,000 from streaming, against a budget of $2 million. Critics were scathing. Variety called it “shockingly bad”, while prominent American conservative commentator Rod Dreher called it “fascist propaganda”, although he and some others on the right defended its depiction of a turbulent Europe.

The film’s portrait of European society fits the bleak vision pushed by Musk and others on the right: that citizens have been completely betrayed by a corrupt establishment, that immigrants are at the root of violence and chaos, and that extreme measures are needed to restore order.

“People who complain that he spends the first half of the movie murdering white people, not immigrants, don’t understand… He always hangs a traitor before shooting an enemy,” reads a message reposted by Musk.

Asked last week in an interview with The Economist whether he was being irresponsible by promoting a film that glorifies the murder of a Muslim family, Musk said: “It’s a film and it’s worth watching.”

“I don’t think Europe is hell,” he said, but also insisted that “there were rapes and murders out of control.”

He also stood by previous statements that he believed civil war in the UK was “inevitable” and, referring to Muslims, said: “If you have a large, rapidly growing group of people whose beliefs are antithetical to Western beliefs, at some point there will be a reckoning.”

The tech titan also said he had not visited the UK for several years.

Musk’s defenders have often praised his stated support for free speech online and attributed some of his more extreme stances to online hype.

Others say his influence on politics in the UK and Europe is limited.

“I don’t think it has much political influence in Britain or on the continent,” says Gawain Towler, a former communications director for Reform UK who still supports the party.

Towler says he credits Musk for highlighting rapist gangs in British cities and says he is calm about the tycoon’s support for Lowe and Restore.

“I generally prefer what he says about his business,” he says.