Christmas horror release<em> Bird Box </em>has had mixed reviews from critics, but it appears to have been a smash hit: Netflix lifted the usually tightly sealed lid on its viewership numbers in a recent tweet that disclosed 45 million subscriber accounts had watched the thriller during its first seven days on the service. One consequence of this popularity is that it now has its own challenge, and it's something that's just as silly as the cinnamon challenge (which peaked in popularity in 2014, before people realised that trying to eat a teaspoon of cinnamon can cause irritation, or even lead to a lung infection). The <em>Bird Box </em>challenge has people blindfolding themselves and then navigating the big bad world: some of them are less worrying, showing people moving around their living rooms, with only soft furnishings as a threat; while others show folk pulling beanies over their heads while driving (hopefully in a trick of editing, but still warranting concern consdering people might try and imitate them). Many people who take on the challenge try and achieve things the characters in the film pulled off while blindfolded, and anyone who has seen <em>Bird Box </em>knows that this, combined with the one-upmanship that is a key element of these challenges, is a recipe for disaster. <strong>_______________</strong> <strong>Read more:</strong> <strong><a href="https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/from-the-baby-shark-song-to-theresa-may-dancing-the-9-best-memes-of-2018-1.806017">From the Baby Shark song to Theresa May dancing: the 9 best memes of 2018</a></strong> <strong><a href="https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/film/2018-in-film-netflix-triumphs-over-traditional-cinema-and-our-top-picks-of-the-year-1.805781">2018 in film: Netflix triumphs over traditional cinema, and our top picks of the year</a></strong> <strong><a href="https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/11-words-and-phrases-that-defined-2018-flexitarian-backstop-and-a-smocking-gun-1.807601">11 words and phrases that defined 2018: 'Flexitarian', 'backstop' and a 'Smocking Gun'</a></strong> <strong>_______________</strong>