Christmas horror release Bird Box has had mixed reviews from critics, but it appears to have been a smash hit: Netflix lifted the usually tightly sealed lid on its viewership numbers in a recent tweet that disclosed 45 million subscriber accounts had watched the thriller during its first seven days on the service.
One consequence of this popularity is that it now has its own challenge, and it's something that's just as silly as the cinnamon challenge (which peaked in popularity in 2014, before people realised that trying to eat a teaspoon of cinnamon can cause irritation, or even lead to a lung infection).
The Bird Box challenge has people blindfolding themselves and then navigating the big bad world: some of them are less worrying, showing people moving around their living rooms, with only soft furnishings as a threat; while others show folk pulling beanies over their heads while driving (hopefully in a trick of editing, but still warranting concern consdering people might try and imitate them).
Many people who take on the challenge try and achieve things the characters in the film pulled off while blindfolded, and anyone who has seen Bird Box knows that this, combined with the one-upmanship that is a key element of these challenges, is a recipe for disaster.
This 24 hour Bird Box challenge has had two million views on YouTube:
The challenge has prompted Netflix to tweet a warning:
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 (@netflix) January 2, 2019
But it has perhaps already reached its peak, and will die out soon, considering it's already hit mainstream morning TV:
#BirdBoxChallenge: @michaelstrahan attempts to put lipstick on @sarahaines with a blindfold on! #GMADay https://t.co/G4PdrKdY6w pic.twitter.com/h5HIWtJtXw
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 2, 2019
And here, one Twitter user reminds us that Johnny Knoxville of Jackass fame has been Bird-Box-challenging since way back in 2006:
Idk why y’all think you created the bird box challenge when my guy @realjknoxville did it back in 06 pic.twitter.com/UiGb8xlBZB
— AramHodoyan (@AramHumberto) December 30, 2018
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Read more:
From the Baby Shark song to Theresa May dancing: the 9 best memes of 2018
2018 in film: Netflix triumphs over traditional cinema, and our top picks of the year
11 words and phrases that defined 2018: 'Flexitarian', 'backstop' and a 'Smocking Gun'
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