• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

The Supreme Court handed Trump a Golden Chariot on tariffs — now he just has to take it

1

The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

The Supreme Court handed Trump a Golden Chariot on tariffs — now he just has to take it
Arts & EntertainmentNetflix

Critics Are Bashing ‘The Cloverfield Paradox,’ Netflix’s Bold Post-Super Bowl Movie Release

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 5, 2018, 1:30 PM ET

Super Bowl LII’s thrilling finish wasn’t the only surprise of Sunday night, as Netflix enticed millions of football fans by dropping a preview for a new movie that debuted on the streaming site immediately after the Philadelphia Eagles finished off their win over the New England Patriots.

Netflix premiered a movie trailer for The Cloverfield Paradox, the third film in a loosely-connected sci-fi trilogy from producer J.J. Abrams, during one of the very expensive commercial breaks between the action of last night’s game on NBC. Of course, Netflix was far from the only movie studio or streaming service to promote new programming during the Super Bowl.

But the surprising twist from Netflix was the fact The Cloverfield Paradox would actually be available to stream as soon as the game ended. It was a first-of-its-kind move from the streaming giant, which may have taken its inspiration from the traditional TV networks that have used the post-Super Bowl time slot to promote new TV series or special episodes (such as last night’s long-awaited This Is Us installment on NBC) for years.

The move was made that much more surprising by the fact that Netflix had not previously confirmed its acquisition of The Cloverfield Paradox from Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, which produced the movie. The streaming site had been rumored to be interested in purchasing the film, which was previously called God’s Particle and reportedly saw its release delayed multiple times. (Never a good sign for a movie.)

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

So after all of that, is the movie even any good? Well, so far, critics don’t think so.

Though The Cloverfield Paradox has only been available online for less than 24 hours, the movie is already being panned by movie critics, receiving a paltry 12% score on the reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes (out of a total of just 25 reviews, as of Monday afternoon). The movie’s score on Metacritic, another online review aggregator, is a slightly more healthy 40 (out of 100).

But the film is undoubtedly receiving its share of scathing reviews, with critics calling it a “trainwreck” and “a bust of a movie.” Vanity Fair‘s Joanna Robinson sums it up: “The Cloverfield Paradox reaches for so many outlandish twists, turns, and sci-fi tropes that it forgets to build the one thing that genre stories of its kind need: believable and sympathetic human characters.”

Some thing happened. You'll know why after the game. #CloverfieldParadox pic.twitter.com/HGqIC1AqB7

— The Cloverfield Paradox (@CloverfieldPRDX) February 5, 2018

Yet Netflix doesn’t always care about the opinions of professional movie reviewers when making decisions on original programming. The company recently forged ahead with a sequel for the fantasy thriller Bright despite the fact that the first movie (which Netflix paid a reported $90 million to acquire) similarly bombed with critics. However, by Nielsen’s measurements (which Netflix disavows), enough Netflix users seem to have watched Bright to justify further investment.

Will that be the case for The Cloverfield Paradox? It’s too soon to tell (and Netflix never releases viewership statistics), but the 62% of the movie’s audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are positive, while the film currently has a rating of 7.0 (out of 10) from users on Metacritic.

The film and its two predecessors, 2008’s Cloverfield and 2016’s 10 Cloverfield Lane, are share the same producer (Abrams) as well as a somewhat mysterious monster-movie narrative connection. Each of the two previous films have generally positive Rotten Tomatoes ratings, and they fared reasonably well at the box office ($170 million in global gross for Cloverfield and $110 million for 10 Cloverfield Lane) for lower-budget movies.

Netflix has not said how much it paid to acquire streaming rights for The Cloverfield Paradox, so as always, it will be difficult to judge whether or not the streaming giant’s purchase was a prudent one. But it definitely succeeded in generating in-game Super Bowl buzz.

About the Author
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

pp
PoliticsElections
Graham Platner runs controversial ad during Red Sox game vowing to ‘reverse the private equity curse’
By Patrick Whittle, Kimberlee Kruesi, Kyle Hightower and The Associated PressMay 26, 2026
9 hours ago
Rear view of a depressed non binary person looking out of their bedroom window on a sunny day - negative emotion
EconomySmall Business
America is becoming less neighborly, and it’s hurting Gen Z and millennials’ chances at economic mobility
By Tristan BoveMay 26, 2026
12 hours ago
g
Arts & Entertainmentmuseums
For 60 years, nobody knew where the Muppets were made. Now you can go see
By Philip Marcelo and The Associated PressMay 25, 2026
2 days ago
s
Arts & EntertainmentBox office
Star Wars won the weekend. Nobody’s quite sure whether to celebrate
By Lindsey Bahr and The Associated PressMay 25, 2026
2 days ago
Someone leafs through titles stacked in a library
AIResearch
AI hallucinations are infiltrating expert work—and entering the permanent body of knowledge
By Tristan BoveMay 24, 2026
3 days ago
pizza
PoliticsRestaurants
‘Earth-shaking event for New York pizza’ looms as flour ban hits 80% of crusts citywide
By Jake Offenhartz and The Associated PressMay 22, 2026
5 days ago

Most Popular

The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure
Travel & Leisure
The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure
By Catherina GioinoMay 25, 2026
2 days ago
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
6 days ago
The Supreme Court handed Trump a Golden Chariot on tariffs — now he just has to take it
Commentary
The Supreme Court handed Trump a Golden Chariot on tariffs — now he just has to take it
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven TianMay 26, 2026
18 hours ago
The pig in the python: Baby boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire
Economy
The pig in the python: Baby boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire
By Nick LichtenbergMay 25, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, May 26, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 26, 2026
16 hours ago
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits he criticizes everything his 42,000-plus employees show him: ‘You can’t go a day without some criticism’
Success
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits he criticizes everything his 42,000-plus employees show him: ‘You can’t go a day without some criticism’
By Preston ForeMay 26, 2026
14 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.