Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

The Cloverfield Paradox: What Netflix reportedly paid to acquire 'unsalvageable' film from Paramount

Reports suggest the film studio made a profit before it was even released

Jacob Stolworthy
Wednesday 07 February 2018 06:40 EST
Comments
The Cloverfield Paradox - trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Netflix reportedly paid a staggering amount of money to release The Cloverfield Paradox as a surprise on Monday (5 February).

The streaming service dropped the third film in the Cloverfield series following Super Bowl 51 - mere hours after its first trailer - having acquired the project from Paramount Pictures who had originally planned to release the film, originally titled God Particle, in April.

It's now been reported that Netflix paid $50m for the privilege.

Directed by Julius Onah, the J.J. Abrams-produced project - reportedly budgeted at $40m - is set in the year 2028 and follows a crew of space cadets in a bid to provide an ailing Earth with infinite energy.

Following its release, the film has found itself at the centre of negative reviews (read ours here) having failed to capitalise on the praise heaped upon 2008 film Cloverfield and its surprise follow-up 10 Cloverfield Lane which was released in 2016. Its Rotten Tomatoes score currently sits at 20 percent.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount had deemed the film "unsalvageable" despite the film's stellar cast including Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Daniel Brühl, David Oyelowo and Elizabeth Debicki.

Last month, it was reported that Netflix took a $39m hit firing Kevin Spacey from political drama House of Cards following the accusations of sexual misconduct made against him.

Follow Independent Culture on Facebook

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in