Netflix recently issued a warning to its viewers, cautioning those mimicking Sandra Bullock’s character in the movie “Bird Box” from walking around blindfolded and ending up in the hospital, according to an article published by The Guardian.
Last week Netflix declared that 45 million of its subscribers had streamed the Sandra Bullock thriller Bird Box in its first week of release: a record for original movie content on the platform; but did not specify how many have actually watched the movie till the end. Bird Box has received mixed reviews.
Five days later, on the 2nd of January, they issued a public health warning in the interests of keeping as many of those subscribers alive as possible.
The streaming giant was responding to a growing social media craze for the Bird Box challenge, in which people imitate characters in the film who must perform every task blindfolded.
“Can’t believe I have to say this, but: PLEASE DO NOT HURT YOURSELVES WITH THIS BIRD BOX CHALLENGE. We don’t know how this started, and we appreciate the love, but Boy and Girl [a reference to the two unnamed children of Bullock’s character] have just one wish for 2019 and it is that you not end up in the hospital due to memes.” Netflix tweeted from its primary account.
Can’t believe I have to say this, but: PLEASE DO NOT HURT YOURSELVES WITH THIS BIRD BOX CHALLENGE. We don’t know how this started, and we appreciate the love, but Boy and Girl have just one wish for 2019 and it is that you not end up in the hospital due to memes. — Netflix US (@netflix) January 2, 2019
Can’t believe I have to say this, but: PLEASE DO NOT HURT YOURSELVES WITH THIS BIRD BOX CHALLENGE. We don’t know how this started, and we appreciate the love, but Boy and Girl have just one wish for 2019 and it is that you not end up in the hospital due to memes.
Netflix’s call for moderation (but not abstention) from the craze comes after thousands of videos posted online show people stumbling around houses, stairs and woods with scarves wrapped round their eyes.
Meanwhile, YouTube star Morgan Adams’s 24-hour Bird Box challenge earned more than two million views in five days.
The film, which has overcome mixed reviews to pick up considerable momentum – as well as celebrity fans such as Kim Kardashian – stars Bullock as a single mother endeavoring to save herself and her two children in a post-apocalyptic America. She and her fellow survivors must wear blindfolds to prevent exposure to supernatural forces who take the form of their most potent fears and lead them to take their own lives.