Cry of the Wild was shot in the Northwest Territories, British Columbia and Canadian Arctic, as well as near Mason's home in the Gatineau Hills, where he kept and observed three grown wolves and, eventually, a litter of cubs.
[7] The feature documentary was initially planned to be released in Canada on a small scale.
At a showing in Edmonton, the NFB was approached by an American distributor interested in releasing it in the USA.
The company bought the North American rights and released it in New York City, renting out theatres and showing the film on a continuous basis in a formula known as "four-walling."
According to Gary Evans in his book In the National Interest: A Chronicle of the National Film Board of Canada from 1949 to 1989, the NFB only recouped several hundred thousand dollars because of a contract that allowed the American distributor to pocket the bulk of the proceeds and declare bankruptcy.