Netflix film Bird Box‘s 45 million seven-day viewing record may be even higher than initially thought.
The sci-fi original film, debuting worldwide on the streaming giant on Friday, Dec. 21, was reported to have been streamed an approximate 45,037,125 times within the first seven days of its debut. In a rare move, however, Netflix has claimed that those numbers may actually be even higher.
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According to a statement released to Entertainment Weekly, a representative for the streaming giant explained that Netflix only counts a view “once a view surpasses 70 percent of the total running time, including credits,” meaning that those who viewed only a portion of the movie before stopping, whether it be for a dislike of the film or saving the remainder for later, did not have their views count in the initial seven-day tally.
For those subscribers who went back for seconds or thirds or even fourth helpings of Bird Box, those additional views were not counted, as when an account is counted, it “may include multiple views and viewers but is only counted once.”
The Netflix rep added that while this is typically the way in which the streaming platform keeps track of views for all original films, the information “should not be taken as a metric for all Netflix content,” as “nuance” comes into play when it comes to Netflix original series and individual episodes.
Prior to its release, Bird Box gained excitement, and certainly benefited, from it’s a-list cast, which included Sandra Bullock in the lead role as well as Sarah Paulson, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, and Lil Rel Howery.
The film also drew comparisons to other highly successful and critically acclaimed thrillers, such as A Quiet Place, in which the characters live in a world where they are unable to make a sound.
While A Quiet Place plays with hearing, Bird Box plays with sight as the characters live in a world invaded by monsters that, once looked at, compel people to kill themselves. With Bullock as the lead, the film follows her character, Malorie, as she attempts to survive the post-apocalyptic world and guide herself and two children to one of the only safe places left.
Although the film reached a major viewing milestone, it ultimately failed to reach the same acclaim as its comparison, with critics serving it mixed reviews. Praised for its direction, performances, and scoring by composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, many felt that the lack of backstory proved to be a major flaw.
Bird Box is currently available for steaming on Netflix.
