Future ‘Cloverfield’ Films Reportedly Still Heading to Theaters

Earlier this week, the Cloverfield franchise made an unprecedented move in the history of cinema by debuting the latest chapter, The Cloverfield Paradox, on a streaming service with only a 30-second commercial announcing its release hours ahead of time. Fans who prefer to enjoy their films on the big screen are in luck, as The Wrap reports that Paramount Pictures took this strategy as a one-time experiment and future films will hit theaters.

According to a source close to Paramount, the decision to dump Paradox on the streaming service would make it “immediately profitable” while also keeping up the series’ reputation for mysterious marketing. Reports claim that the next film in the loosely-connected series, currently titled “Overlord,” is still on course for an October 26 release date.

Originally, Paradox, which was previously known as “God Particle,” was slated to hit theaters this past October. That release date was then bumped to February, with an announcement in January pushing the release date back to April. Fans were in the dark about the delays, curious as to why Paramount never even revealed a title or its connection to the previous films.

A few hours after the film’s release, the reason behind the surprise drop on Netflix seemed to become clear: Paramount knew they had a disappointing film on their hands. With over 60 reviews submitted to review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film sits at a 20% positive rating. Given the last film in the franchise, 10 Cloverfield Lane, earned a 90% positive rating, the expectations for a new chapter would be incredibly high.

In 2007, a teaser trailer premiered featuring the head of the Statue of Liberty getting tossed through the streets of New York City, teasing the date of an untitled monster movie. Fans were delivered Cloverfield, a straightforward monster movie told from a found-footage perspective. Devout fans were able to then head online to dissect various clues found in a series of fictional websites in hopes of discovering more about the monster.

Eight years later, the trailer for 10 Cloverfield Lane debuted in January to announce the film’s March release date. The film featured Howard Stambler (John Goodman) keeping two people captive in an underground bunker in order to “protect” them from an unseen threat.

Rather than a specific narrative thread, the “Cloverfield” brand seemed to suggest the tone of a film, which would be a blend of sci-fi and horror with plenty of mysteries.

The most recent entry into the franchise might not have met fans’ expectations, yet Paramount seemingly has more confidence in Overlord by promising it will follow through on its October 26 release date.

The Cloverfield Paradox is now streaming on Netflix.

[H/T The Wrap]