The new year has found its first viral meme – the Bird Box Challenge. People across the globe are walking around blindfolded, just as Sandra Bullock has to do in the Netflix film Bird Box.

Released on the streaming platform on December 21 after a limited theatrical release, Susanne Bier’s horror film follows Bullock’s character and two children as they try to navigate the outdoors blindfolded to save themselves from supernatural beings who drive those who see them to suicide. Netflix last week claimed that Bird Box, with 45 million views, was its most-watched film in its first week.

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Bird Box.

As people tried to replicate that scenario in non-apocalyptic situations, Netflix put out warning on Wednesday urging them to be careful while doing the “Bird Box challenge”.

No injuries have been reported over the Bird Box Challenge so far, but it has led to moments of hilarity.

The potential dangers of this challenge are evident in this video by an Instagram user who seemingly decides to drive blindfolded. He summed up his motivation as follows, “In this day in age with all the haters, jealousy and fake friends smiling in your face and talking behind your back one must protect themselves from all evil by covering their eyes completely.”

Another user combined the Bird Box Challenge with one of 2017’s Kiki Challenge, which involved people jumping out of moving cars and dancing alongside the vehicles. The challenge had become such a safety concern that the police and other authorities had to caution people against it.

The Bird Box Challenge even made it to a morning news talk show.

A much safer variant of the Bird Box Challenge involves social media users cracking jokes about it, from the safety of their homes and with their eyes wide open.

Courtesy Cinema Sealposting/Facebook.