J.J. Abrams' latest sci-fi movie
The Cloverfield Paradox hasn't been met with the warmest of receptions since its surprise release on Netflix following Super Bowl LII on February 4. Those negative impressions have seemingly translated into a lack of viewers on the streaming service.
According to Nielsen data,
The Cloverfield Paradox attracted just 2.8 million U.S. viewers in its first three days on Netflix. Although the total audience is estimated to have grown to 5 million over a seven-day period, it still falls considerably short compared to Netflix's other original blockbuster
Bright, which
attracted 11 million U.S. viewers in its first three days of release. While we don't have seven-day figures for
Bright, Netflix did refer to it as
one of the company's "most-watched pieces of original content."
Bright, which stars Will Smith and Joel Egerton, was met with similar negative reaction from critics; however, it seemed to have appealed to actual Netflix subscribers - as evidenced by its 86% audience score versus just 27% critic score.
The Cloverfield Paradox, on the other hand, hasn't found much love with either base as it sits at just an 18% critic score and 51% audience score.
This almost certainly isn't the outcome Netflix was hoping for with
its $50 million purchase from Paramount Pictures, but it certainly shows the risk involved when you enter the original blockbuster game. If Netflix is serious about dethroning traditional Hollywood, they have to expect some bumps along the way.