Surprise: J.J. Abrams' 'The Cloverfield Paradox' Goes Up On Netflix
Out of nowhere, J.J. Abrams and Netflix drop the third film in the Cloverfield franchise entitled The Cloverfield Paradox. It's now available on Netflix.
During the Super Bowl LII, fans were treated to a first look of The Cloverfield Paradox. An even bigger surprise came when it was announced that the premiere of the sci-fi horror will be directly after the big name on Netflix.
In an unprecedented move, the Super Bowl is the first time that any footage or image of the film has been shown.
The Story
The Cloverfield Paradox is expected to tie together its two predecessors in the Cloverfield universe, but it remains unknown how the third film has accomplished this. The film is about a group of astronauts who are subjected to strange and mysterious events out in space.
"In the near future, a group of international astronauts on a space station are working to solve a massive energy crisis on Earth," Netflix describes their latest acquired film. "The experimental technology aboard the station has an unexpected result, leaving the team isolated and fighting for their survival."
Unprecedented Premiere
While such a campaign has never been done before, a Super Bowl trailer followed promptly by the premiere is a great way to ensure a massive viewership. After all, last year's Super Bowl recorded an average of 111.3 million.
However, it's not the first time this particular franchise decided to forego traditional marketing. Word of the original Cloverfield was released through an untitled trailer while 10 Cloverfield Lane relied instead on viral marketing and revealed very little details on how it's connected to the handheld surprise original hit.
Despite the groundbreaking nature of the film's release, critical reception for The Cloverfield Paradox is lukewarm. As a review from The Guardian explains, opting for a Netflix release ensured that the producers can avoid a box office failure.
A Long Time Coming
The production of The Cloverfield Paradox has been full of speculation and controversy, from official title to its release date. Originally called God Particle, the film's release has also gone through multiple date changes.
Until it dropped the surprise teaser during the Super Bowl, The Cloverfield Paradox was still expected to premiere on April 20. Although there has been a buzz of a Netflix release, many still believed this sequel to Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane will get a theatrical release by Paramount.
The Cloverfield Paradox is produced by J.J. Abrams and directed by Julius Onah (The Girl is in Trouble). The cast includes Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Bruhl, Chris O'Dowd, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ziyi Zhang, and David Oyelowo.
Another film in the Cloverfield franchise is rumored to be launched in October.
