'The Cloverfield Paradox' Drew Five Million Netflix Viewers In Its First Seven Days

‘The Cloverfield Paradox’ Drew Five Million Netflix Viewers In Its First Seven Days

The Cloverfield Paradoxreportedly drew in five million viewers in its first week after the surprise Netflix release of the science-fiction sequel.

That’s light years away from Netflix’s biggest success yet,Bright, which garnered 11 million U.S. viewers in its first three days of release.

Nielsen data estimates thatThe Cloverfield Paradoxpulled in 2.8 million U.S. viewers in the first three days, growing to an estimated five million over a seven-day period, according toVariety.

Paramount soldThe Cloverfield Paradoxto Netflix in areported $50 million deal, presumably fearing a weak box office performance. So what would 5 million viewers equate to in box office terms? That would be the rough equivalent of $45 million at the box office, provided audience members all bought tickets.

Paramount certainly made back its money, with that $50 million deal covering the film’s $40 million-plus production budget — which soared due to extended reshoots andpost-production tweaks.

However, there’s no question that these numbers are a bit middling. Netflix’s unprecedented decision to drop a surprise trailer during the Super Bowl followed by a surprise release of the film in the very same night was considered a game-changer. Was this the future of film releases? Netflix spent only$5 million in marketing costs— far less than the $20-$30 million Paramount would have had to shell out for theatrical marketing. If every big-budget thriller that had an uncertain box office guarantee was released this way, it would be a huge success for studios.

But…was it?The Cloverfield Paradoxdidn’t get nearly the same numbers thatBrightdrew in, which set records with 11 million views in its first three days. It could be blamed onThe Cloverfield Paradox’s stunninglybad reviews— the film boasts a measly18% on Rotten Tomatoes— though that didn’t stop the 27%Brightfrom becoming Netflix’s highest-viewed original film ever. /Film’s Chris Evangelista called it a “major misfire” in hisreview, saying that it “ultimately feels like a huge middle finger to an audience that wants nothing more than to see this franchise succeed.”

The Cloverfield Paradoxis directed byJulius Onahand starsGugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, and Chris O’Dowd, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Bruhl,andZhang Ziyi. It is currently streaming on Netflix.