‘Bird Box’ Fans Are Turning House Seen in Film Into Tourist Attraction

The Netflix original film Bird Box has been all the talk since it came out Dec. 13 2018, and apparently so is the house that most of the movie centers around.

If you haven’t seen the movie yet, there is a mild spoiler in this one paragraph. The house where several people take refuge from the mysterious unseen threat — that eventually becomes Malorie and Tom’s home that they share with her son and Olympia’s daughter — has become a popular tourist attraction.

The house is in Monrovia, California which is 20 miles Northeast of L.A. The owner told TMZ that a handful of visitors have been showing up to take photos at the house every day since the movie was released, including Christmas day.

Luckily, the homeowner said everyone who has stopped by the Bird Box house has been very polite, some even knocking on the door to ask for permission before capturing their memory.

One would think that might be uncomfortable for the owner but apparently this isn’t her first rodeo, because having her home in a Hollywood film is nothing new. She told the media outlet that her home has been featured in at least three other movies in the past 20 years, but couldn’t remember specific titles.

Netflix used her home for all of the exterior shots instead of using a studio back lot, and as a result, she was paid 12 thousand dollars for those outside scenes.

Despite her house being one of the most popular props in the movie, she said she has no intentions on watching the popular hit because she doesn’t have Netflix.

While the house may be popular among fans, the film itself isn’t as favored by some critics and viewers. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently sits at a 66 percent score and out of 2,279 user ratings, the average viewer rated it at a 3.9 out of 5.

There have been mixed reviews with some in favor of it and others who find no salvage in the script or performances.

Amy Nicholson of The Guardian’s writes, “No one gets a backstory. They simply arrive with one personality trait — Paulson’s character really likes horses, [Danielle Macdonald] is a wannabe Disney princess — or in (Machine Gun) Kelly’s case, ominous camerawork that shoots him like a slasher villian for no reason at all. At the end of the film, you don’t feel moved to hoot for any of the individual performances — but you’re tempted to applaud the casting director.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Tara Brady of The Irish Times’ writes, “Bird Box may be a nest of familiar apocalyptic tropes but with an excellent ensemble, a haunting score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and Academy Award winning director Susanne Bier at the helm, it rarely feels like every other societal collapse picture. Together, Bier and Bullock have created a challenging depiction of motherhood.”

Viewers on the other hand seem to think that it channels The Happening and A Quiet Place.

Either way, the film has been a huge hit for Netflix.