So, it seems the creative team watched the movie with Paramount and may have decided a movie theater release was not the best fit.
Because studios split revenue with movie theaters and needs to be advertised prior to its release, a movie needs to make a certain amount of money in theaters before it even begins to make a profit.
First and foremost, Netflix gave Paramount a chunk of money upfront.
Sure, Netflix chose to take out a couple of Super Bowl ads — a pricey prospect.