Netflix Raises Movie-Viewership Curtain with ‘Bird Box’

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix NFLX has provided the movie industry with an unprecedented peek at how a newly released film is faring as competition for Hollywood’s biggest names intensifies.

The company disclosed in a recent tweet that 45 million subscriber accounts worldwide had watched the Sandra Bullock thriller “Bird Box” during its first seven days on the service. That’s the biggest first-week success of any movie made so far for Netflix’s 12-year-old streaming service.

The revelation created a stir in Hollywood and on Wall Street.

While getting that many people to theaters would be impressive, one analyst says the better yardstick is viewership on TV, given that subscribers didn’t have to leave their homes or pay extra for this movie. By that yardstick, viewership spread over a week isn’t as impressive.