At this point, Bird Box is nothing short of a cultural phenomenon. The sleeper Netflix hit has swept social media with memes and viral jokes since its release and now, police departments across the country are issuing stern warnings because of the warning.
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No, people haven’t been killing themselves in mass suicides all over the globe as seen in Bird Box. But people have been doing the “Bird Box Challenge” and law enforcement workers are warning against…you know, covering your eyes and trying to navigate through traffic.
“Watch the movie,” the Portland, Maine police department tweeted. “Be happy that’s not your reality, but please don’t blindfold yourself to relate.”
Let’s talk “bird box challenge”. Don’t do it. Don’t think about doing it. Watch the movie, be happy that’s not your reality, but please don’t blindfold yourself to relate. Especially not while driving. Most of us have a hard enough time driving safely with unobstructed vision. pic.twitter.com/ZpDF0WDUBL
— Portland Police (@PolicePortland) January 11, 2019
As one police sergeant with Florida’s Cape Coral Police Department pointed out, it’s not only incredibly dangerous to partake in the challenge, it could also be illegal resulting in a hefty fine.
“Not to mention driving while wearing a blindfold or blacking out your windows is not only going to be very, very dangerous it’s also a crime,” Master Sergeant Alan Kolak told Cape Corals’ Fox4.
Although no fatalities have been directly attributed to the incident, it’s but a matter of time before the bizarre craze causes a serious injury or inevitable death.
“People that think going around blindfolded or trying to find your way is a funny thing to do or adventurous it’s a very dangerous activity, West Hazleton PD chief Brian Buglio told WBRE. “Doing that and trying to find your way blindfolded could lead to serious injury or death.”
Though flying in under the radar, Bird Box — a feature based Josh Malerman’s novel of the same name — seemingly raised in popularity overnight. Days after the flick debuted on the streaming giant, Netflix tweeted that over 45 million accounts had watched the film over the course of its first week of availability.
After viewers started firing back at the number, a Netflix representative revealed previously-unknown details about how the service determines how to count their viewer numbers.
“When initially reached for comment, a rep for Netflix said, ‘We dont’ have anything to add beyond the tweet,’” the update states. “However, in a rare move by the company, a spokesperson later explained to EW that Netflix only counts once a view surpasses 70 percent of the total running time, including credits. When an account is counted, it ‘may include multiple views and viewers but is only counted once.’”
Bird Box is now streaming on Netflix.
