Netflix is known to have many popular TV shows, movies, and Netflix Originals. On December 13, 2018, Netflix released the movie Bird Box, which rapidly became popular. Within the first week, over 45 million accounts watched the newly released movie.

Sandra Bullock, an incredible actress and producer, played the role of Malorie Hayes in the film. When an unknown force starts to overtake the population, Malorie and her two children must take on the dangerous task of navigating down a river blindfolded to reach a possible sanctuary that will protect them from the force and their worst fears.

After the initial release, memes were created and later shared on Twitter along with the trending hashtag, #birdbox. These Bird Box fans decided to start a challenge where they would attempt to drive blindfolded. It eventually seemed to get out of hand when Netflix tweeted this on their twitter 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.” They used a reference to the two kids in the movie to address this dangerous issue.

Shockingly, the movie is actually based off an original book written by Josh Malerman. Many viewers are stuck trying to figure out the underlying meaning of the story and the reason behind the creation of the movie. According to a review by The Way, “The novel was written in 2014, but screenwriter Eric Heisserer (“Arrival”) brilliantly interweaves subtle contrasts that reflect on today’s world.” This website suggests that this story brings up points of borders being closed, climate change that is outrunable, and extreme amounts of gun violence. These comparisons are said to be messages to take from the film.

Not only has this movie been popular all over but also within the Battlefield community. Many students could not stop talking about the movie within the first few weeks and the popularity has continued to increase. Junior Matthew Venezia gave his opinion on the movie after watching it with his family, “I liked the suspense created by the monster and how the characters went about their ways throughout the movie. I think the meaning of the movie is that we all go through life with a blindfold and it is our job to build relationships with those whom you can trust to get through.” There are many interpretations of the movie’s theme but this movie has made huge impacts on the way people look at life and the people around them.

This movie has beat many other famous movies in popularity and is already extremely successful. The combination of the intense plot, incredible acting, and the mysterious messages within make it one of Netflix’s most successful launches yet.