As we’ve said a million times at this point, Netflix just doesn’t like revealing viewership numbers on its content. For a variety of reasons, the streaming service finds it beneficial to only report numbers when those stats are ridiculously high. However, there are third-party companies that are doing their best to give Netflix content traditional ratings numbers to help put the popularity of certain films and shows in perspective. And even by third-party standards, Netflix’s recent film “Bird Box” is a runaway success.
According to Nielsen (via The Wrap), “Bird Box” was viewed by almost 26 million people in its first seven days of release. That number is only second behind “Stranger Things 2,” and even then, “Bird Box” only trailed the sci-fi/fantasy series by less than a million viewers over that time. Now, this number is significantly lower than the Netflix-released number of 45 million viewers, but that’s only because Nielsen is only interested in viewers in the United States.
Either way, “Bird Box” is a success on the level of some of Netflix’s greatest launches in history. This popularity is due to a variety of factors, at least that we can tell. With a major star like Sandra Bullock leading the way, “Bird Box” came into December with many film fans interested in what Netflix was working on. Then the premise, which felt similar to another 2018 success, “A Quiet Place,” was something that people immediately gravitated towards. However, the huge driving force is the intangible “It” factor that “Bird Box seemed to tap into, with the film’s iconic blindfold imagery becoming the biggest meme during the holiday season.
All that being said, Netflix did a masterful job of promoting and marketing its film, while the heavy lifting was done by social media and memes to really make “Bird Box” not just your typical Netflix Original, but a cultural phenomenon that people had to experience for themselves or be left out of the watercooler discussion.
Either way, Netflix has to be over the moon with excitement over “Bird Box’s” performance, and is likely trying to sign up Bullock and director Susanne Bier for another round.