Filmmaker Paul Feig says "anti-Hillary movement" played a big role in generating the backlash he received for his women-led reboot of "Ghostbusters", starring Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.

In an interview on Jess Cagle's SiriusXM show, Feig reflected back on the response that he got for his 2016 film, and said that it was similar to criticism faced by Hillary Clinton during her 2016 campaign as a presidential candidate for US elections, reports foxnews.com.

"Some really brilliant author or researcher or sociologist needs to write a book about 2016 and how intertwined (our film was) with Hillary (Clinton) and the anti-Hillary movement," Feig said, adding: "It was just this year where everyone went to a boiling point. I don't know if it was (having) an African-American president for eight years (that) teed them up or something, but they were just ready to explode… By the time, in 2014 or 2015, when I announced I was going to (make) it, it started."

The director also mentioned a reference to a 2015 video -- which now US President Donald Trump had shared on his Instagram in which he appeared baffled by the idea of remaking "Ghostbusters" with an all-female cast, reports foxnews.com.

"By the time I announced in… 2015, when I announced I was going to do it, it started. There's tape of Donald Trump being like, ‘Now the Ghostbusters are women, what's going on?'," Feig said, adding: "Like, it's crazy how people got nuts about women trying to be in power or be in positions that they weren't normally in. It was an ugly, ugly year."

With "Ghostbusters", Feig, known for films like "Bridesmaids" and "Spy", brought back the story of the famous 1984 eponymous American supernatural horror comedy on the silver screen with a twist. Besides infusing advanced technology in the film, Feig replaced the male protagonists with female cast.

"What I love about ‘Ghostbusters' is that these are not superheroes. But they are superheroes because they are human, because they are smart, because they are brave, because they are ballsy, and because they sometimes make flawed decisions. They win through their smarts. But they can still be hurt -- versus superheroes who punch through the building and get back up again. That's what I love -- that these are real people rising to the occasion. I think all women can take the message of that -- You have the power within. You are smart, you are strong, you can do this, it's okay to be flawed, but have your goal and you will win," Feig said at the time of the release.

The film underperformed at the box office, earning $229.1 million worldwide. It is reported that Sony Pictures Entertainment, the studio which backed the film, incurred a loss of $50 million.