Netflix has yet another hit on its hand, and it's called Bird Box. The second-to-last of Netflix's original movies in 2018 (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch capped off the year) not only set a new viewing record on the streaming platform, it's also inspired a ridiculous amount of memes, including people doing the #BirdBoxChallenge, which sees participants testing out the movie's blindfold premise. You'd think it was obvious that trying to do normal tasks with obscured vision could result in people getting hurt, but Netflix has nonetheless had to issue a warning to, quite literally, not try this at home.
Encourage posting Bird Box memes on Twitter is perfectly fine, but Netflix is making its position clear on the #BirdBoxChallenge: it's not worth it. There's too much that can go wrong, and the company obviously wants to cover its bases in case someone is actually harmed while doing things blindfolded, whether it's in their humble abode or out in public. One can also reasonably surmise that Netflix does not want to get sued, so it's attempting to nip this craze in the bud now before something bad happens. Whether Bird Box fans will take heed of the service's warning remains to be seen.
In case you haven't seen Bird Box yet or watched any of its previews, just like the same-named book by Josh Malerman, the movie stars Sandra Bullock as Malorie, a mother who has to take her children, simply called Boy and Girl, through a forest and across a river to reach a new place to live, and they have to do all this while blindfolded. The reason for this is because there are monsters that have come to Earth that, when seen, force the viewer to either kill themselves or become servants of these demonic entities. As for why the movie is called Bird Box, that's because birds can sense these monsters without seeing them, making them handy alarm systems.
It's one thing to blind yourself if it's the only way to safely reach a new sanctuary from monsters that have invaded Earth that will destroy your sanity with just one glance. That's still incredibly dangerous, but it makes sense. But to blind yourself for the sake of a meme, that's just not smart whatsoever. Don't do it, folks!
The #BirdBoxChallenge aside, Bird Box has definitely cemented itself as one of Netflix's bigger original movies, and since it's only been two weeks since it premiered, there's still plenty of time for it to ride this wave of social media fame. Along with Sandra Bullock, Bird Box's cast includes Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Rosa Salazar, Lil Rel Howery, BD Wong and Sarah Paulson.
You can watch Bird Box on Netflix now, but stay away from blindfolds upon finishing the movie. If you're curious about what the streaming platform will be delivering in 2019, check out our handy guide.
