Netflix
Sandra Bullock in "Bird Box"
- Stephen King praised Netflix's new thriller, "Bird Box," on Thursday, and said he was "riveted" by the movie.
- He also called out critics for having what he called "Netflix Prejudice," as the movie has a 63% Rotten Tomatoes critic score.
- Critics have given positive reviews to other Netflix movies this year, including "Cam," "Roma," and "Private Life."
Stephen King praised Netflix's latest thriller, "Bird Box," on Thursday, but he had less kind things to say about critics reviewing the movie.
King tweeted, "I was absolutely riveted by BIRD BOX (Netflix). Don't believe the lukewarm reviews, which may in part have been caused by reviewers' ambivalence to the streaming platform, as opposed to theatrical releases."
He added, "One might say movie reviewers suffer from the dread NP syndrome: Netflix Prejudice."
"Bird Box," which is available to stream on Friday, stars Sandra Bullock as a mother trying to protect her two children in the aftermath of a deadly force wiping out much of society. The catch: If you see it, you die.
King has praised other Netflix shows and movies this year, such as the hit horror series, "The Haunting of Hill House," which he called "close to a work of genius," and Blumhouse's psychological thriller movie, "Cam," which has a 93% Rotten Tomatoes critic score.
"Bird Box" has a less impressive 63% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, but besides "Cam," critics have been generous to other Netflix movies this year, as well. Alfonso Cuarón's Oscar hopeful "Roma" is one of the best reviewed films of the year with a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. "The Kindergarten Teacher" and "Private Life" have 89% and 94%, respectively.
As it seeks to compete during awards season, Netflix gave an exclusive theatrical run to "Bird Box," "Roma," and the Coen Brothers' "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" earlier this year before they became available to stream. It was a rare move for Netflix, as the company's original film strategy is usually "day and date," meaning the movies become available to stream on the same day they are released to theaters.