We already told you that
Paramount/
Bad Robot’s
Cloverfield sequel
was getting acquired by Netflix, and that a
Super Bowl spot is expected to air during the Big Game, however, we’re now hearing that the J.J. Abrams produced movie will be available to stream immediately following the end of the Big Game. A TV spot for the film is scheduled to drop around the end of the first quarter and inform fans about the pic’s availability tonight.
Should all of this occur, it would rep a groundbreaking, unprecedented move by a studio in its use of P&A: Netflix would literally be promoting a movie before TV’s biggest audience of the year (last year’s Super Bowl drew an average of 111.3M) and then promptly releasing the title after the game. Today will be the first time we’ve seen any footage or images from the movie.
No other streaming service has ever pulled off this type of stunt, nor released a movie with such immediacy. Millennial audiences love surprises and this type of marketing maneuver is right up their alley. For many months this
Cloverfield movie went by the title
God Particle.
What’s interesting here is that Paramount had actually planned to release this
Cloverfield sequel in theaters over this weekend. At the end of last year, Paramount announced they were moving it to April 20.
Other studios have explored split-rights deals with Netflix on certain titles and while this is a one-off for the
Cloverfield sequel, it is becoming more commonplace to strike these types of deals when they are in the best interest of the film, the filmmakers and the fans. Last year Netflix’s big splash was showing off the second season trailer to
Stranger Things.
This unique distribution plan for the next
Cloverfield completely jibes with the brand’s spirit of surprise.
Cloverfield pics are traditionally shrouded in secrecy with non-traditional marketing campaigns. This
Cloverfield sequel cost around an estimated $45M, and we hear that the Netflix deal makes the film immediately profitable.
The latest
Cloverfield is directed by Julius Onah and written by Oren Uziel and takes place on a space station. Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Bruhl, Gugu Mbatha Raw, Chris O’Dowd, Ziyi Zhang and David Oyelowo star. The first movie followed a group of friends who are trying to stay safe during a monster’s attack on New York City.
10 Cloverfield Lane followed a young man and woman who are held against their will by an older man in an underground shelter. They’re forbidden to go outside in the real world and we get the sense that some sort of apocalypse has occurred. We soon learn the real reason why it’s not safe for them to go outside.
The first
Cloverfield opened to $40M at the B.O. over MLK weekend 2008 and churned out a 2x multiple at the domestic B.O. with $80M, $170.7M global off a $25M production cost.
10 Cloverfield Lane opened to $24.7M and made $72M stateside, $110.2M off a $15M production cost (the pic largely took place in one location).
There is a chance that Netflix changes up their game plan at the last minute, but this is what Deadline is hearing at this moment.
Is Netflix Planning The Ultimate Super Bowl Surprise With ‘Cloverfield’ Sequel?