Things are looking a little bit odd for the nextCloverfieldmovie. Paramount has been shifting the movie’s release date for a long time, with its original release date slated for early last year. Recently, it was bumped to April 20 and now we may know why. It looks like the studio doesn’t feel the movie is worthy of a theatrical release and, as such, Netflix is in talks to acquire and distributeCloverfield 3. This first surfaced as a rumor recently but now looks to be a very real thing.
The Hollywood Reporter has several sources saying thatNetflix is indeed in talksto acquireCloverfield 3, which is rumored to be titledCloverfield Station. According to their report, the talks are happening, but there’s no deal in place yet. The move comes as a result of Paramount chairman Jim Gianopulos assessing the studio’s release date and making some tough choices about what is worthy of a theatrical release and what isn’t. Here’s what one of the unnamed sources had to say about the situation.
“He sat down and looked at what is theatrical, what is not in this day and age.”
We haven’t seen any real marketing forCloverfield 3yet, which was previously going under the titleGod Particle. The only marketing of any kind is a strangeviral website, but that doesn’t really come with any significant cost to the studio. Were Paramount to release the movie theatrically, that would require posters, trailers and other marketing that gets very expensive. It sounds like the studio doesn’t feel this movie is worth all of that, which is why Netflix may be the best way to go.
On the one hand, this could be great forfans of the Cloverfield franchise. Netflix could just drop the movie on their service as something of a surprise and people won’t have to leave the comfort of their home to watch it. On the other hand, those who like the theatrical experience are going to be out of luck. Not to mention that this movie raises some red flags. Paramount also sold the upcoming Alex Garland thrillerAnnihilationto Netflix in every territory except the U.S., in part because themovie wasn’t testing very well. So what does that potentially say aboutCloverfield 3, in terms of quality? Usually, when a movie has its release date shifted around a bunch of times, it’s not a great sign.
Cloverfieldand10 Cloverfield Lanewere made on the cheap and managed to turn a nice profit as a result. However,Cloverfield 3is said to have cost $40 million and even after that, the movie reportedly “needed some work.” Unfortunately, producer J.J. Abrams is a little tied up right now withStar Wars 9, so he can’t give it the attention it needs. So, Netflix it is. Another interesting point is that The Hollywood Reporter is still calling the movieGod Particle, which implies that title may come back around, assuming Netflix does wind up distributing the movie.
