What is the post-9/11 panic movie created by J.J. Abrams, the legendary hit maker of “Cloverfield”?

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2019.12.06Koji Eguchi

"Cloverfield" Synopsis

A farewell party is being held at an apartment in New York for Rob, a young man who has been transferred to Japan. Suddenly, an unidentified "something" appears and destroys the Statue of Liberty. People flee the city in panic, and the military is called in, plunging the city into a state of war. Rob receives a call from his girlfriend asking for help, and heads out with his friends to rescue her...

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Propaganda that stirs up fear

The movie ``Cloverfield'' (2008), which uses a fake documentary method to depict the heroic night of people who are attacked by an unknown ``something'' that suddenly appears in New York, was a huge hit in the United States and was released three months late. It also achieved good results in Japan, with box office revenue of 1.2 billion yen.

It took a very modern approach to making use of the internet, with a trailer that focused solely on stirring up anxiety without explaining the title or story, a titleless poster with the headless Statue of Liberty as its main visual, and a fake news program broadcast on YouTube reporting on an incident related to the backstory. It is said that the strategic PR that was deployed and careful control to avoid revealing too much about the contents of the film contributed greatly to its success.

In short, this is a "monster panic movie with a documentary approach." No matter how effective the advertising may have been, if you only heard the content, it seems that it would be difficult for it to become a big hit, as it would be a movie that only selects viewers. So why was it able to achieve such success?

It all started with his visit to Japan

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