Netflix warning: Streaming giant urges fans not to try 'Birdbox Challenge'
NETFLIX chiefs have been forced to issue a “don’t try this at home” warning after fans of Christmas hit movie Bird Box started re-enacting scenes in real-life scenarios.
Man attempts bird box challenge while DRIVING
The post-apocalyptic psychological thriller revolves around people being forced to wear blindfolds to avoid setting eyes on a mysterious force that brainwashes them into committing suicide. Bird Box stars Sandra Bullock as a mother of two young children she has to guide to safety as chaos, death and mayhem rage around her. The film, which co-stars John Malkovich and British actor Tom Hollander, went online on the streaming service on December 21 and within the first seven days, had been viewed more than 45 million times.
Please do not hurt yourselves with this Bird Box challenge
It soon spawned the Bird Box Challenge, in which people try to get from A to B without the use of their sight - and within no time #BirdBoxChallenge started trending on Twitter and quickly went viral.
And with reports of Bird Box fans finding themselves in serious predicaments and reports of injuries to some taking up the challenge, Netflix was forced to call for an end the dangerous to craze to stop and begged those that have watched the record-breaking film to not take part.
In a tweet on Wednesday, the streaming service said: "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."
Bird Box holds a 65 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating mixed-positive reviews.
The critics' consensus reads: "Bird Box never quite reaches its intriguing potential, but strong acting and an effectively chilly mood offer intermittently creepy compensation."
Express.co.uk gave the movie two out of five stars and wrote: "Though it has a thought-provoking theme, Bird Box ultimately falls short of making you fear what they fear, perhaps in part because nothing is ever shown; neither the creatures nor the deadly visions they inspire.
"Perhaps the attempt was to make the audience feel as in-the-dark as Bullock and the rest of the world's inhabitants.
"If so, it fails and instead leaves a more curious viewer frustrated by a seemingly pointless lack of detail, of description."
