Netflix is bringing back its Bird Box franchise. The series that helped cement the streamer’s original films as major pop culture touchstones is back with the new trailer for Birdhouse Barcelona. But while the first film was an unprecedented hit, there’s no guarantee Netflix can regain that same energy for a sequel.
In many ways, Bird Box began the streaming era as we know it. The film’s 2018 release received middling reviews, but a ton of interest from Netflix subscribers and an avalanche of memes helped propel the Sandra Bullock movie to become the most-watched Netflix original movie ever — and it’s still standing. in the top three. More than arguably any other movie before it, it proved that a streaming service’s original movie could be a huge hit.
For those who don’t remember (statistically speaking, chances are you’ve seen this movie), Bird Box follows Malorie (Bullock), a woman living in a post-apocalyptic world where strange creatures cause everyone she sees to go crazy and try to die in the most direct way possible – or in some cases try to keep other people out look to the creatures instead.
It’s just the kind of premise that lent itself to massive twists and turns and some genuinely creepy moments – though not necessarily a good movie. But director Susanne Bier managed to keep the tension high enough to grab viewers early and avoid getting too distracted; in other words, the winning combination of Netflix.
The continued excitement saw the film generate impressive word-of-mouth following its release in December 2018 and become a viral sensation in January 2019. Of course it was also helped by one mountain memes that largely circulated on Facebook – because 2019 was gloomier than you remember.
But that perfect alchemy of virality, suspense and general creepiness isn’t easy to replicate. And it’s hard to imagine this year’s horror sequel catching on as hard as its predecessor, especially since Netflix’s latest hits are still driven by huge stars, A-list ensembles, or heaps of action. With all that skepticism in mind, however, Netflix is still smart with how it positions Birdhouse Barcelona.
One of the most significant changes to Netflix over the past five years has been the increasingly international nature of its content and audience. As the streaming service expands around the world, the success of shows is increasing Squid game, EliteAnd Money robbery consistently prove that Netflix’s increasingly global audience loves shows from around the world. As a result, this production feels a bit more international, heading to Spain for its setting and featuring quite a few non-English actors in leading roles.
Photo: Andrea Resmini/Netflix
That being said, Barcelona lacks the remarkable star power of the original; there is no Sandra Bullock to draw people in these days. Instead it has the excellent Georgina Campbell (Barbarian), and a large number of actors with at least one Netflix credit in their pocket already like Diego Calva (Babylon, Narcos: Mexico), Michelle Jenner (The girls at the back) and Mario Casas (The innocent). Even the film’s directors, Barcelona-born duo David and Alex Pastor, teamed up with Netflix as the directors and writers of the 2020 film The inhabitant.
While that’s quite a bit of Netflix talent, it’s not entirely clear if Netflix talent is enough to attract a Netflix movie. And with streaming is now suffering from a post boom slowdownit’s just not clear that Netflix can really win a second Bird Box.
Birdhouse Barcelona is scheduled for release on July 14.