Cloverfield

This article is about the 2008 film. For the film franchise, seeCloverfield(franchise).

Cloverfieldis a 2008 Americanfound footagemonsterhorror filmdirected byMatt Reeves,produced byJ. J. Abrams,and written byDrew Goddard.It starsLizzy Caplan,Jessica Lucas,T. J. Miller(in his film debut),Michael Stahl-David,Mike Vogel,andOdette Annable.The plot follows six youngNew York Cityresidents fleeing froma massive monsterand various other smaller creatures that attack the city during a farewell party.

Cloverfield
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Matt Reeves
Written by	Drew Goddard
Produced by	Bryan Burk J. J. Abrams
Starring	Lizzy Caplan Jessica Lucas T. J. Miller Michael Stahl-David Mike Vogel Odette Yustman
Cinematography	Michael Bonvillain
Edited by	Kevin Stitt
Production company	Bad Robot
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	January 18, 2008(2008-01-18)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$25–30 million
Box office	$172.4 million

Development began when producerJ. J. Abramsstarted conceptualizing a new monster and enlistedNeville Pageto design the creature, calledClover.In February 2007, the project was secretlygreenlitbyParamount Picturesand produced by Abrams'sBad Robot.Principal photographytook place inLos Angelesand New York City in 2007. The project had several working titles, includingSlusho,Cheese,andGreyshot.As part of aviral marketingcampaign, a teaser trailer was released ahead of screenings ofTransformers(2007) without a title. The final title was revealed in a second teaser trailer attached to screenings ofBeowulf(2007). With limited pre-release details, it garnered online speculation, including forums and websites dedicated to uncovering hidden information about the film. Several tie-ins, including aprequel manga series,were released as part of the marketing campaign.

Cloverfieldwas released on January 18, 2008, and received positive reviews from critics, who praised Reeves's direction and thecinéma véritéstyle narrative. It earned $172 million worldwide at the box office against a $25 million budget. It is the first installment of theCloverfieldfranchise,followed by10 Cloverfield Lanein 2016 andThe Cloverfield Paradoxin 2018. A direct sequel is in development.

Plot

Thefootagefrom a personal camcorder is recovered by theU.S. Department of Defensein the area "formerly known asCentral Park",bearing a disclaimer stating multiple sightings of a case designated" Cloverfield ".

The camera contains two sets of recordings, mixed together. The earlier footage, recorded on April 27, 2008, shows Rob Hawkins waking up with Beth McIntyre in her father's apartment aboveColumbus Circlebefore embarking on a date acrossNew York CityandConey Island.

On May 22, 2008, at Rob's apartment inLower Manhattan,Rob's brother Jason and Jason's girlfriend, Lily Ford, throw a surprise farewell party for Rob before he moves toJapanfor his new job. Jason asks Rob's best friend, Hudson "Hud" Platt, to film testimonials for Rob during the party. Beth, whose feelings are hurt because Rob never called her back after their one night together, brings another man to the party. Beth and Rob argue, and she leaves shortly before a massiveearthquakeoccurs, causing a brief citywidepower outage;the local news reports acapsizedoil tankernearLiberty Island.From the roof, the partygoers witness an explosion in the distance and flee as flaming debris flies in their direction.

As the partygoers leave the building, the severed head of theStatue of Libertyis hurled into the street. In the chaos, Hud recordsan enormous creatureseveral blocks away collapsing theWoolworth Buildingand the group, consisting of Rob, Jason, Lily, Hud, and Marlena Diamond, takes cover in a nearby convenience store. When the group attempts to evacuateManhattan,the creature's tail destroys theBrooklyn Bridge,killing Jason. News reports show theArmy National Guard's42nd Infantry Divisionattacking the monster and hostileparasiticcreatures falling off of its body.

Rob receives a message from Beth, who is trapped in her apartment at theTime Warner Center.Rob, followed by Hud, Lily, and Marlena, decide to venture up toMidtown Manhattanto rescue her. They find themselves in a battle between the creature and military, and run into a nearby subway station for cover. While walking through the subway tunnels toward midtown, they are attacked by a group of parasites. While saving Hud, Marlena is bitten by one of the creatures. The four escape the tunnels and enterBloomingdale's,where they are found by soldiers and taken to acommand centernearby. When Marlena begins to bleed from her eyes, she is forcibly taken away from the group by a biohazard team and explodes shortly after.

Rob, still intending to save Beth, persuades one of the military commanders to let them go. He is informed when the last evacuation helicopter will depart before the military executes its "Hammer Down Protocol", which will destroy Manhattan to kill the monster. The surviving group travels to Beth's apartment building, which they find leaning on a neighboring skyscraper. After crossing roofs from the other building, the group finds Beth impaled on exposedrebar.They free her and make their way to the evacuation site nearGrand Central Terminal,where they encounter the creature again.

Lily is rushed into a first helicopter to escape before Rob, Beth, and Hud are taken away in a second helicopter, witnessing as the creature is heavily bombed by aB-2 Spirit.The creature collapses and appears to be dead for a brief moment, but lunges out of the smoke and hits the second helicopter. The helicopter crashes in Central Park, killing all of the occupants except Rob, Beth, and Hud.

Fifteen minutes before the Hammer Down Protocol commences, the trio manages to escape the wreckage and attempts to flee; After placing the camera down to help an injured Rob get up, Hud turns back to retrieve the camera when the creature suddenly appears and bisects him. Rob and Beth grab the camera and take shelter underGreyshot Archfurther into the park. Asair raid sirensblare, the bombing starts. Rob and Beth each provide their last testimony of the day's events. The arch begins to crumble, and the camera is knocked out of Rob's hand and buried beneath the rubble. Rob and Beth proclaim their love for each other just as the bombs explode, and the camera freezes before the footage cuts.

The film ends with the finale of Rob and Beth's trip to Coney Island a month earlier. Unseen by them, a barely discernible object falls from the sky and into the ocean before the camera cuts off.

After the credits, a voice can be heard saying, "Help us..." Whenplayed in reverse,it says, "It's still alive."

Cast

Further information:List ofCloverfieldcharacters

• Lizzy Caplanas Marlena Diamond, a fellow partygoer and Hud's crush
• Jessica Lucasas Lily Ford, Jason's fiancée
• T. J. Milleras Hud Platt, the cameraman capturing the events
• Michael Stahl-Davidas Rob Hawkins
• Mike Vogelas Jason Hawkins, Rob's brother
• Odette Yustmanas Elizabeth McIntyre, Rob's girlfriend
• Jamie Harlen as Jamie Lascano, character that is part of Viral who makes a small appearance in the film
• Ben Feldmanas Travis Marello, Beth's friend
• Margot Farley as Jenn
• Theo Rossias Antonio
• Kelvin Yuas Clark
• Brian Klugmanas Charlie
• Billy Brownas Sergeant Pryce

In addition,NY1TV journalistRoma Torrehas a cameo as herself, reporting on a television screen watched by the party-goers. The film's director,Matt Reeves,provides the uncredited voice for the two brief phrases (one normal, one inreversed audio)after the credits.

Production

Development

J. J. Abramsconceived a new monster after he and his son visited a toy store inJapanwhile promotingMission: Impossible III.He explained, "We saw all theseGodzillatoys, and I thought, we need our own American monster, and not likeKing Kong.I love King Kong. King Kong is adorable. And Godzilla is a charming monster. We love Godzilla, but I wanted something that was just insane and intense. "

In February 2007,Paramount PicturessecretlygreenlitCloverfield,to be produced by Abrams, directed byMatt Reeves,and written byDrew Goddard.The project was produced by Abrams's company,Bad Robot.

The severed head of theStatue of Libertywas inspired by the poster of the 1981 filmEscape from New York,in which the head lies on a street in New York. Reeves explained, "It's an incredibly provocative image. And that was the source that inspired producer J. J. Abrams to say, 'Now this would be an interesting idea for a movie'."

Title

The film was initially titledCloverfield,changed several times throughout production, and was reverted. Matt Reeves explained this was due to the hype caused by the teaser trailer. "That excitement spread to such a degree that we suddenly couldn't use the name anymore. So we started using all these names likeSlushoandCheese.And people always found out what we were doing! "He said that" Cloverfield "was the government's case designation for the events caused by the monster, comparing the titling to that of the realManhattan Project,though the government did not originate this.Cloverfield Blvd is the highway exit Abrams takes to hisSanta Monicaoffice,and which used to lead to theSanta Monica Airport,which originally bore the name Clover Field.

The final titleGreyshotwas proposed, taken from the archway that the two survivors take shelter under at the end of the movie, but Matt Reeves said this was rejected because the film was already so well known asCloverfield.

The film received a subtitle inJapan,where it was released asCloverfield/Hakaisha(クローバーフィールド/HAKAISHA,Kurōbāfīrudo/HAKAISHA).The subtitle "Destroyer" was chosen by Abrams and was translated into Japanese as Hakaisha(Phá 壊 giả,lit. "Destroyer")by Paramount Japan at his request.The subtitle Kishin(Quỷ thần,lit. "Demon[ic] God ")was chosen for themangaspin-off,Cloverfield/Kishin,released exclusively in Japan.

Casting

Casting was done in secret, with no script sent to candidates. To prevent the leaking of plot information, instead of auditioning the actors with scenes from the film, scripts from Abrams's previous productions were used, such as the television seriesAliasandLost.Some scenes were also written specifically for the audition process, not intended for use in the film.Lizzy Caplanstated that she accepted a role inCloverfieldwithout knowing the premise, solely because she was a fan of the Abrams-producedLost,and her experience of discovering its true nature initially caused her to state that she would not sign on for a film in the future "without knowing full well what it is". She indicated that her character was a sarcastic outsider, and that her role was "physically demanding".

Production

With an estimated production budget of $30 million, principal photography began in mid-June 2007 in New York.One cast member said that the film would look like it cost $150 million, though without recognizable and expensive actors.Filmmakers used the PanasonicHVX200for most of the interior scenes, and the SonyCineAltaF23high-definition videocamera to record nearly all of the New York exterior scenes.Filming took place onConey Island,with scenes shot atDeno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Parkand the B&B Carousel.The scenes of tanks firing at the creature while the main characters hide in a stairwell were filmed on Hennesy Street onWarner Bros. Studios backlotinBurbank, California.Some interior shots were taped on a soundstage atDowney, California.Bloomingdale'sin the movie was actually shot in an emptiedRobinsons-Maystore that was under reconstruction inArcadia, California.The outside scenes ofSephoraand the electronics store were taped in DowntownLos Angeles.

Brooklyn Bridge,as viewed through the film'sfirst-person narrative

The film was shot and edited in acinéma véritéstyle,to look like it was taped with one hand-held camera, includingjump cutssimilar to ones found inhome movies.T. J. Miller,who plays Hud, has said in various interviews that he taped a third of the movie and almost half of it made it into the film.Director Matt Reeves described the presentation, "We wanted this to be as if someone found a Handicam, took out the tape and put it in the player to watch it. What you're watching is a home movie that then turns into something else." Reeves explained that the pedestrians documenting the severed head of the Statue of Liberty with the camera phones was reflective of the contemporary period. According to him: "Cloverfieldvery much speaks to the fear and anxieties of our time, how we live our lives. Constantly documenting things and putting them up onYouTube,sending people videos through e-mail – we felt it was very applicable to the way people feel now. "

VFXandCGIwere produced by effects studiosDouble NegativeandTippett Studio.

Several of the filmmakers are heard but not seen in the film. The man yelling "Oh my God!" repeatedly when the head of the Statue of Liberty lands in the street is producerBryan Burk,and director Matt Reeves voiced the whispered radio broadcast at the end of the credits.After viewing a cut of the film,Steven Spielbergsuggested giving the audience a hint at the fate of the monster during the climax, which resulted in the addition of a countdown overheard on the helicopter's radio and the sounding ofair raid sirensto signal the forthcoming Hammer Down bombing.

Style of cinematography

Sign at an AMC theater warning customers by comparing the film to aroller coaster.

The film'sshaky camerastyle of cinematography, dubbed "La Shakily Queasy-Cam" byRoger Ebert,caused some viewers (particularly in darkened movie theaters) to experiencemotion sickness,includingnauseaand a temporary loss of balance. Audience members prone to migraines have cited the film as a trigger. Some theaters showing the film, such asAMC Theatres,provided poster and verbal warnings, informing viewers about the filming style ofCloverfield,while other theatres likePacific Theatresjust verbally warned customers in detail at the box office about experiencing motion sickness upon viewing the film and what to do if they had to step out and vomit.

Creature design

Main article:Clover (creature)

Visual main effects supervisor Nick Tom andPhil Tippett's"Tippett Studio" were enlisted to develop the visual effects forCloverfield.Because the visual effects were incorporated after filming, cast members were only familiar with early conceptual renderings of the beast and had to react to an unseen creature during their scenes.ArtistNeville Pagedesigned the monster, creating a biological rationale for it, though many of his ideas, including an "elongated, articulated external esophagus", would not show up on screen.His central concept was that of an immature creature suffering from "separation anxiety."This recalls real-life circus elephants who get frightened and lash out. The director stated that" there's nothing scarier than something huge that's spooked. "

Marketing

Before the film's release, Paramount carried out aviral marketingcampaign to promote the film which included viral tie-ins similar toLost Experience.Filmmakers decided to create a teaser trailer that would be a surprise in the light of commonplace media saturation. Rather than edit the teaser from footage taken from the finished film, footage was captured during the preparation stages solely for creation of the teaser. Ernest Holzman, who would later be replaced withLostcinematographer Michael Bonvillain, utilized theThomson Viper FilmStream Camerafor the shoot.The teaser was then used as a basis for the film itself. Paramount Pictures encouraged the teaser to be released without a title attached, and theMotion Picture Association of Americaapproved the move.AsTransformersshowed high tracking numbers before its release in July 2007, the studio attached the teaser trailer forCloverfieldthat showed the release date of January 18, 2008, but not the title.A second trailer was released on November 16, 2007, which was attached toBeowulf,confirming the title.

The studio had kept knowledge of the project secret from the online community, a cited rarity due to the presence ofscoopersthat follow upcoming films. The controlled release of information on the film has been observed as a risky strategy, which could succeed likeThe Blair Witch Project(1999) or disappoint likeSnakes on a Plane(2006), the latter of which had generated online hype but failed to attract large audiences.

Pre-release plot speculation

The sudden appearance of the untitled teaser forCloverfield,and limited details available in the lead up to the film's release fueled wide media speculation over the film's plot, with many expecting it to be an adaptation of an existing property. Among the possibilities reported on,The Star Ledgersuggested that the film could be based on the works ofH. P. Lovecraft,or a new entry in theGodzillaseries.The Guardianreported the possibility of a spin-off to Abrams' television showLost,and a misinterpretation of the trailer's line "It's alive!" as "It's a lion!" ledUSA Todayto speculate on a live-action adaptation of Japanese animated seriesVoltron.IGNandTime Outsuggested that the film would feature an alien called "The Parasite",with that rumored to be the working title of the film.Elsewhere online,SlushoandColossushad been discussed as other possible titles,as well asMonstrous,although this was dispelled by Abrams at ComicCon.

The viral marketing campaign drew the attention ofalternate reality gameenthusiasts, hoping to uncover information about the film hidden online. Members of the forums at argn and unfiction have investigated the background of the film, with the "1-18-08" section at Unfiction generating over 7,700 posts in August 2007. The members have studied photographs on the film's official site, potentially relatedMySpaceprofiles,and the Comic-Con teaser poster for the film.A popular piece offan artposited that the monster was a mutatedhumpback whale.

Viral tie-ins

All of the major characters received a personalMyspacepage, all of which are accessible and featuring available photos, though blog posts have been removed.

Unlike most viral marketing campaigns, this one had virtually nothing to do with the film's plot or characters. Instead it focused mainly on the fictional drink Slusho! and the fictional company Tagruato, slowly giving clues of the secret origin of the monster that isn't addressed properly in the film. Following various clues, players discovered that the monster is an ancient amphibious organism discovered during the construction of Chuai Station, an oil platform off the coast ofConnecticutbelonging to the Japanese company Tagruato, which had the purpose of extracting a substance called Sea Bed Nectar that would become the secret ingredient of a drink created by its founder Ganu Yoshida,named Slusho. Tagurato Repurposes Chuai Station after said discovery(and pulling a coverup involving the ordered assassination of the employee who originally made the discovery) using the front as an oil drilling platform also for surveillance of the monster and its parasites,who are using Sea Bed's nectar as a means of nourishment for their host, applying the substance on its back. Eventually, the monster awakens and destroys the station,before finding its way to the shores of New York at the beginning of the film.

Puzzle websites containing Lovecraftian elements, such asEthan Haas Was Right,were originally reported to be connected to the film.On July 9, 2007, producerJ. J. Abramsstated that, while a number of websites were being developed to market the film, the only official site that had been found was 1–18–08.At the site, which now redirects to theParamount Pictureshome page, a collection of time-coded photos were available to piece together a series of events and interpret their meanings. The pictures could also be flipped over by repeatedly and rapidly moving the mouse side to side. Also, if the page was left open for six minutes, the monster's roar could be heard. Eventually, Cloverfield Movie was created.The site provided both a trailer and a number, 33287, which, when texted from a mobile phone, provided a ringtone of the monster's roar and a wallpaper of a decimated Manhattan. This eventually turns out to be aParamountnumber (people later received material onIron Man,Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,Kung Fu Panda,andThe Love Guru).

The drink Slusho! served as part of theviral marketingcampaign. The drink had already appeared in producer Abrams' previous creation, the TV seriesAlias.Websites for Slusho! and Taguruato were launched to add to the mythology ofCloverfield.The Japanese phone number in the Tagruato website did work, but only played recorded messages. For example, one of the messages was:"Thank you for calling Tagruato. Due to high call volumes, your call has been transferred to an automated answering service. There are no updates at this time. After the tone, please leave a message, and one of our associates will find you as soon as possible".A building bearing the company logo for Tagruato can also be seen in the TV spot of the 2009Star Trekfilm, andUhuraorders a Slusho! during the bar scene.WhenCloverfieldwas hosted at Comic-Con 2007, gray Slusho! T-shirts were distributed to attendees.Fans who had registered at the Slusho! website received e-mails of fictionalsonarimages before the film's release that showed a deep-sea creature heading toward Manhattan.Fans who ordered merchandise received pieces of torn Tagruato documents and Japanese newspapers along with their products. A cup of Slusho! appears briefly inThe Cloverfield Paradox,and it has also appeared inFringeandHeroes.A Slusho!bobbleheadfigure also appears shaking inThe Cloverfield Paradoxtrailer and film.

Producer Burk explained the viral tie-in, "It was all done in conjunction with the studio... The whole experience in making this movie is very reminiscent of how we didLost."Director Reeves described Slusho! as "part of the involved connectivity" with Abrams'Aliasand that the drink represented a "meta-story" forCloverfield.The director explained, "It's almost like tentacles that grow out of the film and lead, also, to the ideas in the film. And there's this weird way where you can go see the movie and it's one experience... But there's also this other place where you can get engaged where there's this other sort of aspect for all those people who are into that. All the stories kind of bounce off one another and inform each other. But, at the end of the day, this movie stands on its own to be a movie.... The Internet sort of stories and connections and clues are, in a way, a prism and they're another way of looking at the same thing. To us, it's just another exciting aspect of the storytelling."

Merchandise

A four-installmentprequelmangaseries by Yoshiki Togawa titledCloverfield/Kishin(クローバーフィールド/KISHIN,Kurōbāfīrudo/KISHIN)was released by Japanese publisherKadokawa Shoten.The story focuses on a Japanese high school student named Kishin Aiba, who somehow bears a connection to the monster.

Based on the film's successful opening weekend,Hasbrobegan accepting orders for a 14-inch (36 cm) collectible toy figure of the monster with authentic soundand its parasites that were shipped to fans by December 24, 2008.

Music

Rob's Party Mix
Compilation albumby various artists
Released	January 17, 2008
Length	64:02

Due to its presentation as footage from a consumer digital recorder,Cloverfieldhas nofilm score,with the exception of the composition "Roar! (CloverfieldOverture) "byMichael Giacchinothat plays over the end credits. Similarities between "Roar!" and the music ofGodzillacomposerAkira Ifukubehave been noted, and it has been suggested that Giacchino's overture is a tribute to Ifukube's work,which was confirmed byMatt Reevesin the DVD's commentary track.The soundtrack was supervised by William Filesand Douglas Murray atSkywalker Sound.

Rob's Party MixorCloverfield Mixis a collection of the music played in the opening party sequences of the film that was released exclusively on Apple'siTunes Storeon January 22, 2008, in lieu of a traditional soundtrack album. TheCloverfieldscore, "Roar! (CloverfieldOverture) "by Michael Giacchino that plays over the end creditsis not featured on the album, as it is themixtapeplayed at the party and is not the official soundtrack of the film. This album was distributed to guests at aCloverfieldpremiere party held at the Dark Room inNew York Cityon January 17, 2008.

A complete soundtrack release of all the music in the film, including Giacchino's "Roar!" end title piece, has now also been released exclusively on iTunes; it has not been officially released in retail stores. A CD entitledRob's Party Mixcomes packaged in a special edition ofCloverfieldmade available for sale in CanadianWal-Martstores beginning on April 22, 2008.

Track listing

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"West Coast"	Coconut Records	3:32
2.	"Taper Jean Girl"	Kings of Leon	3:05
3.	"Beautiful Girls"	Sean Kingston	4:01
4.	"Do I Have Your Attention"	The Blood Arm	3:35
5.	"Got Your Moments"	Scissors for Lefty	3:11
6.	"Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)"	Parliament	5:46
7.	"19-2000"	Gorillaz	3:27
8.	"The Underdog"	Spoon	3:42
9.	"Pistol of Fire"	Kings of Leon	2:20
10.	"Disco Lies"	Moby	3:22
11.	"Do the Whirlwind"	Architecture in Helsinki	4:39
12.	"Grown So Ugly"	The Black Keys	2:24
13.	"Four Winds"	Bright Eyes	2:09
14.	"The Ride"	Joan As Policewoman	3:09
15.	"Seventeen Years"	Ratatat	4:26
16.	"Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games"	Of Montreal	4:15
17.	"Fuzz" (ファズ)	Mucc	4:47

Release

Theatrical

First publicized in a teaser trailer in screenings ofTransformers,the film was released on January 17 inNew Zealand,RussiaandAustralia;January 18 in North America; January 24 inSouth Korea;January 25 inTaiwan;January 31 in Germany; and February 1 in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy. In Japan, the film was released on April 5.

Home media

TheDVDwas released on April 22, 2008, in two versions: the standard single-disc edition and an exclusive "steel-book "special edition that was sold atSuncoastandFYEretailers in the US andFuture Shopin Canada. Other store exclusives include an exclusive bonus disc titled "T. J. Miller's Video Diary" with the DVD at allBest Buyretailers, an exclusive mix CD titled "Rob's Goin' to Japan Party Mix" with the DVD at allTargetandWal-Martretailers and an exclusiveringtonewith the DVD at allKmartandSearsretailers.Bordersalso had an exclusive booklet encased with their DVD.

TheRegion 2DVD was released on June 9 in both one-disc and two-disc editions. The limited steel-book edition is only available fromHMV,whilePlayoffers exclusive cover artwork. The HMV-exclusive steel-book contains two discs.

The DVD includes twoalternative endings,which vary only slightly. The first alternative ending shows Rob and Beth exiting theConey Island–Stillwell Avenuestation instead of on the Ferris wheel and features different sirens in the background as Rob talks to the camera. In the second alternative ending, just after the final explosion, Beth can be heard screaming "Rob!", followed by a very brief clip of an unknown person looking at the camera (in the commentary, Reeves said that it was one of the crew members) and brushing rubble off the lens. The film then ends with the original final clip of Rob and Beth on theirConey Islanddate recording themselves on the Ferris Wheel as the camera tape runs out, with two differences: there is notimestampin the lower left-hand corner of the screen, and there is an additional beeping tone indicating the end of the tape.

ABlu-rayedition was released on June 3, 2008.It includes a "Special Investigation Mode", as well as all the bonus features of the 2-disc DVD in HD.

On the film's 10th anniversary, Paramount issued a 4kUHD Blu-rayversion of the film, accompanied by the standard Blu-ray and bonus extras, it was released on January 23, 2018.

Reception

Box office

Cloverfieldopened in 3,411 theaters on January 18, 2008, and grossed a total of $16,930,000 on its opening day in the United States and Canada. It made $40.1 million on its opening weekend, which at the time was the most successfulJanuary release(record then taken byRide Alongin 2014 with a weekend gross of $41.5 million).Moreover, the film simultaneously beatTitanicandBlack Hawk Downto have the biggest Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend and opening weekend grosses.Worldwide, it has grossed $170,602,318, making it the first movie in 2008 to gross over $100 million.In Japan, the film held the top spot in the box office rankings for one week before the release ofKamen Rider Den-O & Kiva: Climax Dekatook the top spot in its first weekend.

Critical reception

OnRotten Tomatoes,the film holds an approval rating of 78% based on 212 reviews, with an average rating of 6.80/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A sort ofBlair Witch Projectcrossed withGodzilla,Cloverfieldis economically paced, stylistically clever, and filled with scares ".According toMetacritic,the film has received anaveragescore of 64 out of 100 based on 37 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.

Marc Savlov ofThe Austin Chroniclecalled the film "the most intense and original creature feature I've seen in my adult moviegoing life [...] a pure-blood, grade A, exhilarating monster movie". He citesMatt Reeves' direction, the "whip-smart, stylistically invisible" script and the "nearlysubconsciousevocation of our current paranoid,terror-phobic times "as the keys to the film's success, saying that telling the story through the lens of one character's camera" works fantastically well ".Michael Rechtshaffen ofThe Hollywood Reportercalled it "chillingly effective", generally praising the effects and the film's "claustrophobic intensity". He said that though the characters "aren't particularly interesting or developed", there was "something refreshing about a monster movie that isn't filled with the usual suspects".Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment Weeklysaid that the film was "surreptitiously subversive, [a] stylistically clever little gem", and that while the characters were "vapid, twenty-something nincompoops" and the acting "appropriately unmemorable", the decision to tell the story through amateur footage was "brilliant".Roger Ebertin theChicago Sun-Timesgave the film three stars out of four and wrote that it is "pretty scary at times" and cites "unmistakable evocations of9/11".He concludes that" all in all, it is an effective film, deploying its special effects well and never breaking the illusion that it is all happening as we see it ".

Todd McCarthy ofVarietycalled the film an "old-fashioned monster movie dressed up in trendy new threads", praising the special effects, "nihilisticattitude "and" post-9/11 anxiety overlay. "but said," In the end, [it's] not much different from all the marauding creature features that have come before it ".Scott Foundas ofLA Weeklywas critical of the film's use of scenes reminiscent of theSeptember 11 attacksinNew York Cityand called it "cheap and opportunistic". He suggested that the film was engaging in "stealth" attempts at social commentary and compared this unfavorably to the films ofDon Siegel,George A. RomeroandSteven Spielberg,saying, "Where those filmmakers all had something meaningful to say about the state of the world and [...] human nature, Abrams doesn't have much to say about anything".Manohla Dargis in theNew York Timescalled the allusions "tacky", saying, "[The images] may make you think of the attack, and you may curse the filmmakers for their vulgarity, insensitivity or lack of imagination", but that "the film is too dumb to offend anything except your intelligence". She concludes that the film "works as a showcase for impressively realistic-looking special effects, a realism that fails to extend to the scurrying humans whosefatesare meant to invoke pity and fear but instead inspire yawns and contempt ".Stephanie ZacharekofSaloncalls the film "badly constructed, humorless and emotionally sadistic", and sums up by saying that the film "takes thetraumaof 9/11 and turns it into just another random spectacle at which to point and shoot ".Michael Phillips of theChicago Tribunewarned that the viewer may feel "queasy" at the references to September 11, but that "other sequences [...] carry a real jolt" and that such tactics were "crude, but undeniably gripping." He called the film "dumb", but "quick and dirty and effectively brusque", concluding that despite it being "a harsher, more demographically calculating brand of fun", he enjoyed the film.Bruce Paterson ofCinephiliadescribed the film as "a successful experiment in style but not necessarily a successful story for those who want dramatic closure". Some critics also pointed out the similarity to theHalf-Lifevideo game series, in particular the "Ant-lion" monsters fromHalf-Life 2,and the constant first-person perspective.

Empiremagazine named it the fifth best film of 2008.The French film journalCahiers du Cinémanamed the film as the third best of 2008.Bloody Disgustingranked the film number twenty in their list of the "Top 20 Horror Films of the Decade", with the article calling the film "A brilliant conceit, to be sure, backed by a genius early marketing campaign that followed the less-is-more philosophy to tantalizing effect...much likeBlair Witchnearly ten years earlier,Cloverfieldhelped prove, particularly in its first half hour, that what you don't see can be the scariest thing of all ".In 2022, Aedan Juvet ofScreen Rantrevisited the original film, labeling it as an "influential" found footage, sci-fi hybrid.

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
2008	Saturn Awards	Best Science Fiction Film	Cloverfield	Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Lizzy Caplan	Nominated
	Golden Schmoes Awards	Best Horror Movie of the Year	Cloverfield	Won
		Most Underrated Movie of the Year		Nominated
		Trippiest Movie of the Year		Nominated
		Best Sci-Fi Movie of the Year		Nominated
		Best Special Effects of the Year		Nominated
		Favorite Movie Poster of the Year		Nominated
		Best Trailer of the Year		Nominated
	Golden Trailer Awards	Best Thriller	Cloverfield	Nominated
		Most Original		Nominated
	Internet Film Critics Society Awards	Most Experimental Film	Cloverfield	Won
	Italian Online Movie Awards	Best Special Effects	Cloverfield	Nominated
	Scream Awards	Best Science Fiction Movie	Cloverfield	Nominated
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller	Cloverfield	Nominated
		Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller Actor	Michael Stahl-David	Nominated
		Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller Actress	Odette Yustman	Nominated
2009	ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards	Top Box Office Films	Michael Giacchino	Won
	International Film Music Critics Awards	Film Music Composition of the Year	Michael Giacchino	Nominated
	Fangoria Chainsaw Awards	Best Wide Release Film	Cloverfield	Nominated
		Worst Film		Nominated
		Best Score	Michael Giacchino	Won
	Gold Derby Awards	Visual Effects	Kevin Blank, Mike Ellis and Eric Leven	Nominated
	Golden Reel Awards	Best Sound Editing - Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Film	Douglas Murray, Will Files, Cheryl Nardi, Sue Fox and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle	Nominated
		Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects and Foley in a Feature Film	Will Files, Douglas Murray, Luke Dunn Gielmuda, Robert Shoup, Josh Gold, Andrea Gard, Steve Bissinger, Kim Foscato, Samuel H. Hinckley, Andy Malcolm and Goro Koyama	Nominated
	International Online Cinema Awards	Best Visual Effects	Cloverfield	Nominated
		Best Sound Mi xing	Anna Behlmer, Will Files and Ed White	Nominated
		Best Sound Editing	Douglas Murray and Will Files	Nominated
	Visual Effects Society Awards	Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture	Cloverfield	Nominated
		Best Single Visual Effect of the Year		Nominated
		Outstanding Created Environment in a Feature Motion Picture		Nominated

Sequels

Main articles:10 Cloverfield LaneandThe Cloverfield Paradox

At theCloverfieldpremiere, director Matt Reeves talked about possibilities of what a sequel would look like if the film succeeded.According to Reeves:

While we were on set making the film we talked about the possibilities and directions of how a sequel can go. The fun of this movie was that it might not have been the only movie being made that night, there might be another movie! In today's day and age of people filming their lives on their camera phones andHandycams,uploading it toYouTube... That was kind of exciting thinking about that.

In another interview, Reeves stated:

There's a moment on the Brooklyn Bridge, and there was a guy filming something on the side of the bridge, and Hud sees him filming and he turns over and he sees the ship that's been capsized and sees the headless Statue of Liberty, and then he turns back and this guy's briefly filming him. In my mind that was two movies intersecting for a brief moment, and I thought there was something interesting in the idea that this incident happened and there are so many different points of view, and there are several different movies at least happening that evening and we just saw one piece of another.

Reeves also pointed out that the final scene on Coney Island shows something falling into the ocean in the background without an explanation. This may have been either the satellite owned by the fictional Japanese media company, Tagruato, or the creature itself. A company news piece on the Tagruato website mentions that a piece of the Japanese Government's ChimpanzII satellite fell off into the Atlantic. Producers Bryan Burk and J. J. Abrams also revealed their thoughts on possible sequels toEntertainment Weekly.According to Burk, "The creative team has fleshed out an entire backstory which, if we're lucky, we might get to explore in future films". Abrams stated that he did not want to rush into the development of the sequel merely because the first film was a success; he explained that he would rather create a sequel that is true to the previous film.

At the end of January 2008, Reeves entered early talks with Paramount to direct a sequel, which was planned to be filmed before Reeves's other project,The Invisible Woman.Reeves said:

The idea of doing something so differently is exhilarating. We hope that it created a movie experience that is different. The thing about doing a sequel is that I think we all really feel protective of that experience. The key here will be if we can find something that is compelling enough and that is different enough for us to do, then it will probably be worth doing. Obviously it also depends on howCloverfielddoes worldwide and all of those things too, but really, for us creatively, we just want to find something that would be another challenge.

In September 2008, when asked byCraveOnlinewhat the status was onCloverfield 2,Abrams stated that at that point they were still discussing it; however, he still felt reluctant to work on a sequel. In the same interview, Abrams said that they were working on something that "could be kind of cool." When asked if it would take place in a different location, Abrams replied by saying that "it would be a totally different kind of thing but it's too early to talk about."In a 2010 interview withAttack of the Show!,Abrams stated that they might abandon the filming style, stating that he and the rest of the crew would like to try something new.

The filmSuper 8was initially speculated to be either a sequel or prequel toCloverfield,but this was quickly denied by Abrams.

In January 2011, horror film fan site BloodyDisgusting stated that aCloverfieldsequel may never happen. They talked to director Reeves and he said that if he can ever get the time to sit down and talk with Drew Goddard and J. J. Abrams about sequel possibilities they will certainly make a sequel, but due to all three's busy schedules Reeves did not see this happening any time soon.In a 2011 interview, Matt Reeves gave an update on the status ofCloverfield 2,saying:

Getting the right idea together has been taking a long time.... You are going to see it – we just don't know when [laughs]... At the moment we are talking about the story quite a lot. Drew Goddard, who wrote the original, is going to pen the sequel and J. J. Abrams is very much involved.... However, the three of us have been so busy that getting the right idea together has been taking a long time.

When asked if the sequel would be shot in real time, Reeves stated, "You see, that's a difficult part: we want it to be shot like the first but how can you continue that idea successfully for a second time?... We have a lot of affection for the original and the sequel can't just be the same thing. But that is tricky when you need to have a monster destroying stuff once again."

In a 2012 interview, screenwriter Goddard gave an update saying, "I'm in, I'm ready to do it...someone call J. J. and tell him to get moving, but because Matt and J. J. and I have been fortunate enough to be busy, it's hard syncing our schedules up. We're all very passionate about returning to that world." When asked if an idea was on paper, he responded, "If you asked each of us what we wanted to do, you'll get three different answers, which is how the first film was. The aesthetic ofCloverfieldbenefits from that. Three voices pulling it. Look, nothing would make me happier than to get the three of us in the room to get started. "In a later interview in April of that same year, Goddard said:

We didn't set out to make a franchise, we set out to make a good movie. But I love that world and that universe, so if there was an idea that excited us enough, and we felt like there was a reason to do it, we would do it. The nice thing about when you work with a guy like J. J., and the power he gets, the studio's not going to force him to do anything. And he has been able to say, we'll do it when we're ready. We're not going to just do it because it will help your bottom line, we're going to do it because there's an idea that excites us. And so that's informed our discussions. We don't feel like we have to, so it's like 'Can we come up with something that excites us enough to do it?'

On January 14, 2016,10 Cloverfield Lanewas revealed by Bad Robot, with Abrams as a producer and Reeves and Goddard credited asexecutive producers.The film was described as "a blood relative" but not "a literal sequel" toCloverfieldby Abrams, who produced the film.The film was released on March 11, 2016, marking the theatrical feature film directorial debut ofDan Trachtenberg.

During an interview with Abrams to promote10 Cloverfield Lane,he said the creative team behind the original had some ideas on developingCloverfield 2,but the release of movies such asGodzillaandPacific Rimled them to abandon them as they found the concept ofkaijumovies had played out. However, Abrams also suggested that he had thought of something that if they are lucky enough to get it made "could be really cool that [it] connects some stories" in a future film, teasing a largerCloverfielduniverse.Interviews with Dan Trachtenberg andMary Elizabeth Winstead,director and actress of10 Cloverfield Lane,respectively, confirmed that the movie is and always was intended to be an expansion of the first film, with Trachtenberg calling it the "Cloververse".

In October 2016, it was reported that an Abrams-produced project, tentatively titledGod Particle,would be the next film set in theCloverfielduniverse.The sequel was originally announced as a February 2017 release but the release date was pushed back to the following year, with theGod Particletitle having been dropped and the film now being referred to asUntitled Cloverfield Sequel.It has also been suggested that the original plot device of agod particlemay have been completely removed from the script.On February 4, 2018, duringSuper Bowl LII,a TV commercial aired announcing the film would be entitledThe Cloverfield Paradoxand would have a surprise release onNetflixafter the game.

In an April 2018 conference at CinemaCon, Abrams stated that "we're actually developing a true, dedicatedCloverfieldsequel. "He also said that the sequel would be released theatrically, a departure from the previous installment,The Cloverfield Paradox,which was only released on Netflix.Abrams went on to say that theCloverfieldsequel is coming "very soon."

In January 2021, it was announced thatJoe Bartonwas selected to write the script for a newCloverfieldfilm, a direct sequel to the 2008 film, produced by Abrams.

External links

• Quotations related toCloverfieldat Wikiquote
• Media related toCloverfieldat Wikimedia Commons
• CloverfieldatBox Office Mojo
• CloverfieldatAllMovie
• CloverfieldatIMDb
• CloverfieldatRotten Tomatoes