Netflix releases viewership numbers for 'Bird Box' and holy crap

Netflix is notoriously cagey about audience statistics, but even the most secretive among us can't help bragging sometimes.

Following the release of the sci-fi thriller Bird Box, the company claimed in a tweet that a staggering 45 million accounts watched the film over its debut week.

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According to Netflix, this is the best debut week for any of its films ever. It's worth pointing out that the 45 million number refers to accounts, not views or streams. So the figure isn't even taking into consideration how many of us share Netflix or watched it with one or more viewing companions.

To put that number into perspective, if each of those accounts had paid $14 to see Bird Box — less than the price of a movie ticket in cities like New York — the Netflix thriller would have surpassed Aquaman's current global box office haul of $629 million.

The rare look at Netflix numbers reminds us how ubiquitous the streaming platform is, particularly with its international scope.

Bird Box is now streaming on Netflix.