With The Cloverfield Paradox, Netflix tried to use the element of surprise to spread the word for the release of the latest installment in the franchise, and the approach missed the mark.
According to Variety, the J.J. Abrams-produced film amassed just 2.8 million U.S. viewers in the first three days following its surprise release after the Super Bowl earlier this month. In a seven-day period, the number jumped to five million, but that's still a far cry from the 11 million viewers racked up by Bright in the first three days after it came out. Netflix claims that Bright became one of the streaming service's most-viewed original titles ever in its first month.
The Cloverfield Paradox's poor viewership numbers could be the result of Netflix putting all of its marketing eggs in one basket, hoping that a mysterious teaser trailer on the grand scale of the Super Bowl would drive an audience to see the film that night or in the days to come. That wasn't the case. But the movie didn't do itself any favors, putting up a Rotten Tomatoes score just below 20 percent.
After reportedly spending more than $50 million to purchase the rights to the film previously known as God Particle from Paramount, Netflix hoped for something more than five million viewers. The Cloverfield Paradox wasn't a huge success, and the streaming service is going to experience these moments every now and then. It's a matter of Netflix learning from their mistakes for films in the future.
