45m people watched Bird Box in its first week - making it Netflix's biggest film opening ever

They've tactically used the word "accounts" here, indicating - as most Netflix accounts are shared amongst family and friends - that the actual number of people that have watched the film is quite a bit higher.

The thriller, which sees Sandra Bullock star as a woman who must protect her children during a cataclysmic event which sees a mysterious presence drive those that looks directly at it to suicide, was released on 21st December. Bullock and her co-stars - including John Malkovich and Moonlight's Trevante Rhodes - don blindfolds for much of it to avoid eye contact with the monsters.

"Took off my blindfold this morning to discover that 45,037,125 Netflix accounts have already watched Bird Box," the Netflix Film Twitter account wrote on Friday. "Best first 7 days ever for a Netflix film."

The number is indeed pretty staggering - 45m represents roughly one third of the streaming service's 137m strong user base. It's another recent and relatively rare example of Netflix's increased transparency with its viewing figures, at least when it comes to their original films. This year, they have confirmed that over 80 million accounts watched smash-hit romcom To All The Boys I've Loved Before, and that 20 million watched Kurt Russell-led Santa flick The Christmas Chronicles.

Bird Box is streaming on Netflix NOW