Netflix
"Outbreak" is popular on Netflix in the US.
- The 1995 movie "Outbreak" was the ninth most popular overall title on Netflix in the US on Friday and the fourth most popular movie.
- It's not the only movie about a deadly virus that is surging in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic.
- The 2011 movie "Contagion" is rising on the iTunes charts and on piracy streaming sites.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
"Outbreak," a 1995 movie about a deadly virus, is rising in popularity on Netflix.
The movie, starring Dustin Hoffman and Cuba Gooding Jr, was the ninth most popular overall title on Netflix in the US on Friday, and the fourth most popular movie, amid concerns over the coronavirus.
Netflix describes the movie like this: "In this doomsday thriller, an Army virologist tries to thwart a global biological meltdown in the form of a killer virus infesting a California town."
It's not the only movie suddenly gaining attention long after its release during the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 4,000 people worldwide.
The 2011 movie "Contagion," about a pandemic that threatens to wipe out much of humanity, has been surging up the charts on iTunes. On Friday, it was its eighth most popular movie. Every other movie in the top 20 was released last year.
"Contagion" is also surging in piracy. According to the piracy analytics company MUSO, "Contagion" increased from 546 visits to piracy streaming sites on January 7 to 30,418 visits on January 30, when coronavirus concerns had reached a high level.
Unlike "Outbreak," "Contagion" is not streaming on Netflix or other services.
"Contagion's" screenwriter, Scott Burns, told The New York Times that people had been asking him questions about the coronavirus on social media.
"I'm alarmed when people choose to ask a screenwriter for advice, rather than a doctor," he told The Times.
Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.
