Cloverfield Sets Monster Record
January 21, 2008

Proving that online marketing and hype really can pay-off if executed properly, the mysterious J.J. Abrams produced monster movie Cloverfield stormed its way across the box-office on its opening weekend to set a record for the best ever Martin Luther King holiday earning film and top grossing January release in history. Starring Michael Stahl-David, Jessica Lucas, Odette Yustman, T.J. Miller, Lizzy Caplan, a href="http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/103011/cloverfield_filmreview.php">Cloverfield took in an estimated $41 million as of late Sunday afternoon, surpassing the previous MLK weekend hit Along Came Polly, which took home $32.5 million over four days back in 2004.

With a stealthy marketing campaign akin to the mysterious puzzle-like suspense of Abrams' TV hit LOST, Cloverfield captured the attention of the online fan community in similar fashion as the 2006 underachieverSnakes on a Plane. This time, however, the campaign paid off in spades, proving that the Internet really can generate enough hype to earn top dollars at the box-office.

Although Cloverfield set two records in one weekend, the film also surpassed the nearly $40 million 1997 release of Star Wars: Special Edition, making Cloverfield a bonafide property that will undoubtedly become the next big monster franchise. With an estimated budget in the surprisingly low $30 million range, Cloverfield not only broke even in its first weekend, but also turned a quarter profit in just four days to give filmmakers a lesson in how to make a film with an almost guaranteed sequel already built in.

Holding its own among the competition, the Katherine Heigl toplined 27 Dresses became a serious hit with a $22.4 million opening weekend take, propelling it to sixth place on the all-time list of MLK holiday releases. Rounding out the top three was The Bucket List with $15.2 million while the Katie Holmes and Diane Keaton comedy Mad Money clocked in at seventh spot with a underwhelming $7.7 million weekend gross.

[Sources: EW.com]