Matt Damon’s Forgotten Sci-Fi Bomb Seeks Redemption at New Streaming Home

Matt Damon’s Forgotten Sci-Fi Bomb Seeks Redemption at New Streaming Home Matt Damon on the red carpet for ElysiumImage via Instar Images By  Rahul Malhotra Published 29 minutes ago Rahul Malhotra is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has been writing for Collider for over two years, and has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal to introduce audiences to a whole new world of cinema. 

Swing and a miss > measured victory. Also, #JusticeForHan. (He/Him). Sign in to your Collider account follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Before he bounced back with the contemporary holiday classic The Holdovers, director Alexander Payne did what many other filmmakers at that stage of their career would have, and attempted to make a big-budget movie. Similarly, Noah Baumbach, who'd spent years directing small-budget comedy dramas, went and made White Noise on a reported budget of $140 million for Netflix in 2022, only to be hit with the worst reviews of his career. It was only a few years prior that Payne made the $70 million science-fiction comedy drama Downsizing, starring Matt Damon as a man who elects to undergo an irreversible procedure that reduces a person's mass. The film is set in a dystopian future overrun by climate change and environmental decline, where "downsizing" has become a solution to humanity's growing consumption of natural resources. Nearly a decade after its release, the movie is heading to the Paramount+ streaming service next month.

The high-concept premise was combined with Payne's trademark humor, which could be a reason why mainstream audiences didn't connect with it. Produced on a budget that has been reported to be as high as $76 million, Downsizing grossed only $55 million worldwide. The movie was released in the same year as Suburbicon, another Damon movie that underperformed terribly at the box office. Critical reception for Downsizing was more divisive than mixed. The movie is now sitting at a 47% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, "Downsizing assembles a talented cast in pursuit of some truly interesting ideas — which may be enough for some audiences to forgive the final product's frustrating shortcomings." The audience rating on RT is even worse, at a cataclysmic 26%.

'Downsizing' Introduced Audiences to Hong Chau

Despite the divisive response, Downsizing was selected by the National Board of Review as one of the 10 best films of 2017, while Hong Chau earned a Golden Globe nod for her supporting performance. In many ways, Downsizing was her breakout project, and she has since gone on to deliver memorable performances in HBO's Watchmen, the sleeper hit The Menu, and The Whale, for which she earned an Oscar nod. Damon, on the other hand, is gearing up to headline his biggest project yet, director Christopher Nolan's epic film The Odyssey, which will be released theatrically next year.

You can watch Downsizing on Paramount+ beginning December 1, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Downsizing

Like Follow Followed R Comedy Documentary Drama Sci-Fi Release Date December 22, 2017 Runtime 135minutes Director Alexander Payne Writers Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

Cast

See All

• Jason Sudeikis
• Neil Patrick Harris
• Margo Martindale
• Kristen Wiig

Genres Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Sci-Fi Powered by Expand Collapse

• Movie News
• Downsizing
• Matt Damon

Follow Followed Like Share Facebook X WhatsApp Threads Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit Flipboard Copy link Email Close Thread Sign in to your Collider account

We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.

Be the first to post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.

Your comment has not been saved

Send confirmation email

This thread is open for discussion.

Be the first to post your thoughts.

• Terms
• Privacy
• Feedback

Recommended 1 day ago

One of Disney’s Most Traumatic Tearjerkers Gets Overtaken by Disney's Disastrous Sci-Fi Sequel at the Box Office

1 day ago

10 Years Ago, 'This Is Us' Creator Gave Us This Cancelled-Too-Soon Fantasy That's Pure Joy From Start to Finish

1 day ago

This Unforgiving Legal Drama We All Unfairly Slept on Is Finally Free To Watch

23 hours ago

This Iconic Singer Covered Bob Dylan's 'Make You Feel My Love' and It Outshined the Original

What To Watch

July 20, 2025 The 72 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now Trending Now The Most Influential Dystopian Sci-Fi Thriller Ever Storms New Streaming Home From 'South Park' to 'Game of Thrones,' the 10 Most Quotable TV Shows of All Time, Ranked The Year’s Biggest Horror Movie Sinks Its Fangs Into a New Streamer Next Month