Filmmakers generally aren’t responsible for how their movies are marketed – unless we’re talking about a Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, or Quentin Tarantino-level auteur with dominion over every aspect of their projects – so the blame for Downsizing not delivering as promised can’t be laid at the feet of director Alexander Payne.
Various trailers and TV spots made it look as though Downsizing was a whimsical sci-fi comedy about the hijinks that ensue when a ragtag group of characters embrace technology that finds them shrunk down to miniature size to live in tiny little communities that gives them the opportunity to live a life of leisure while drastically reducing the volume of resources they needed to survive and thrive.
Instead, the throughline was a warning about the increasing dangers of climate change, sustainability, and humanity’s rampant desire to devour everything in its path without a care in the world for the long-term causality. You can understand why Paramount made the call to obscure the message when Downsizing came packing a budget estimated to be around $70 million, but that still didn’t stop it from tanking at the box office after failing to recoup those costs.
It didn’t help that reviews were decidedly middling, either, but the misleadingly marketed escapade has at least returned to make a much a splash much bigger than its protagonists on streaming. Per FlixPatrol, Downsizing has emerged as one of the Top 10 most-watched features on Paramount Plus in the United States, even if we hope it wasn’t one of the questionable promos that convinced subscribers to hit play.
