Harvey Weinstein has come out in support of Quentin Tarantino’s recent actions concerning anti-police brutality that have landed the film-maker in hot water with a number of law enforcement groups in the US, including the New York police department, though the producer also emphasised his support for America’s police.

In an interview with Variety, the Hollywood mogul denied rumours that he was angry with his frequent collaborator and friend for speaking openly at an anti-police brutality rally in New York, during which Tarantino equated the police killings of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and others with murder. The NYPD and a number of other US police unions joined in the call for a boycott of Tarantino’s films, with the intent to negatively affect the release of the film-maker’s eighth film, The Hateful Eight, which Weinstein produced and is distributing through The Weinstein Company. Fox News stalwart Bill O’Reilly went so far as to say that Tarantino had “ruined his career” by joining the protest.

Since making his remarks at the October gathering, Tarantino has refused to back down from what he said, instead defending his actions, saying on MSNBC: “Just because I was at an anti-police brutality protest doesn’t mean I’m anti-police.”

Weinstein clarified to Variety that he’s “getting along better than ever with Quentin”, adding: “I think he’s been misunderstood and misinterpreted.”

“I respect his right to speak out for what he believes in, while at the same time respecting the sacrifices made every day by the overwhelming majority of our police officers,” said Weinstein. “The two are not mutually exclusive.”

Weinstein has released nearly every one of Tarantino’s films, including Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, and most recently Django Unchained, which did blockbuster-level business for his company, earning over $160m in the US alone.

The Hateful Eight has a lot riding on it. Budgeted at pricey $62m, the film is over three hours long (including 12-minute intermission), which may deter some viewers. The Weinstein Company has also been having a bad year, with films like No Escape and Burnt underperforming at the box office. In response, Variety reports that Weinstein is increasing his focus on his company’s TV operations. The studio will cut the number of films it releases from 18 a year to between eight and 10, according to Variety.

The Hateful Eight debuts in limited release in the US on Christmas Day; it’s out in the UK on 8 January.

• This article was amended on 25 November 2015 to emphasise that Harvey Weinstein supported Tarantino’s right to speak out, but did not endorse his view on police brutality.