Netflix's "Bird Box" Gets Millions of Viewers, Inspires Countless Memes
*By Amanda Weston*
Netflix accounts had more than 45 million eyes glued to its newest film, "Bird Box." But that number may not cover the entire reach of the blindfold-horror movie's viewership.
In an unusual move, Netflix ($NFLX) [tweeted Friday](https://twitter.com/NetflixFilm/status/1078735051406204928) the movie set the record for the best first week ever for a Netflix film. (Netflix did not say how the "Bird Box" figure compares to the previous record.) The tweet ran counter to Netflix's usual policy of keeping viewership numbers under wraps.
Julia Alexander, reporter at The Verge, said one factor that may have played into the record-breaking viewership is its release during the holiday season.
"People are home. They're sitting with their families. They're bored or hiding away and so they put on Netflix and 'Bird Box' is sitting at the very top," Alexander told Cheddar Monday. "It's got A-list talent like Sandra Bullock and John Malkovich."
[Alexander noted](https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/30/18161741/bird-box-netflix-45-million-accounts-statistics-views) that 45 million is likely a conservative estimate of viewers, since multiple people can use one account and some may have watched with friends or family. To contribute to the viewership number, an account holder must have also watched at least 70 percent of the film, including credits.
Despite the film's dark storyline, social media has been [flooded with memes](https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/birdboxmemes/) adding funny captions to pictures of the characters in blindfolds.
Alexander explained it's easy to turn Netflix originals into memes because of how the platform is designed. If a user watches on a laptop, he or she can easily screenshot an image and upload it.
"When you have someone like Sandra Bullock looking terrified and she's wearing a blindfold, that can be parlayed to so many different scenarios that you don't even really need to see the movie to understand the context of the joke," Alexander said.
"The joke just kind of carries on without it. So if you have an image or a screenshot from a movie that's going viral and you add in a hashtag that suddenly ends up trending on Twitter, there's a good chance that people who have Netflix are going to tune in to see what the movie's about."
e.l.f Beauty is celebrating a significant milestone in its sustainable journey. Since launching its Project Unicorn initiative in 2019, the company has eliminated more than one million pounds of packaging materials. Ashley Rosebrook, e.l.f. Beauty's chief creative officer, who spearheaded this effort and has continued to work to reduce the brand's carbon footprint, joined Cheddar to discuss this initiative and what the company aims to do next.
The Omicron variant is raising concerns about how safe it is to travel, just as millions of Americans were getting ready to jet set away for the holidays. Scientists are still trying to understand how much protection vaccines offer against the new variant, and many questions remain unanswered. Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants, gives tips on how to travel safely and comments on the aviation industry's ongoing recovery from the pandemic.
Carlo and Baker cover the latest data showing the Omicron wave has likely started, Pfizer's Covid pill, Jan. 6 and a box office rescue attempt courtesy of Spider-Man.
As 2021 is approaching its end, the meme stock mania that surrounded companies like Gamestop and AMC this year doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Stocks for both companies plunged to their lowest levels in months on Monday, but on Tuesday, traders seemed to come to the rescue, as the stocks for both companies saw rebounds. Great Hill Capital Chariman Thomas Hayes joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Upward Farms is an indoor vertical farming company on a mission to heal our broken food system and reconnect consumers with organic locally-grown food. The Brooklyn-based company uses its controlled environment farms to grow organic leafy greens, which are sold at whole foods markets in New York City. Upward Farms co-founder and CEO Jason Green joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Cheddar is looking back at the 12 biggest buzzwords of the year leading up to Christmas. Today's word of the day is "Infrastructure." Definition: (noun) the basic physical and organizational systems that uphold the structure of the economy.
The U.S. cannabis industry is on track to hit almost $25 billion in sales, according to New Frontier Data. Vivien Azer, managing director and senior research analyst at Cowen, and Russell Stanley, managing director and equity research at Beacon Securities Limited, join Cheddar News to give their predictions for the budding industry in 2022.
As more states begin to legalize recreational marijuana, there's a growing interest in legalizing cannabis cultivation. As the rise in cannabis farms expands across the U.S., more research is being done to examine its impact on the planet. Michael Katz, executive director at Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, joins Cheddar News to talk about the carbon footprint of cannabis farms.
Former 'Real Housewives of New York' star Dorinda Medley is introducing a premium small-batch bourbon, named after her iconic Massachusetts home, Bluestone Manor. The reality TV star joins Cheddar News to talk about her new book, returning to the 'RHONY' franchise, and her new bourbon.
