Netflix has finally decided to remove footage of a real-life train disaster from Bird Box, two months after insisting that the sensitive scene wouldn’t be replaced.
“We’re sorry for any pain caused to the Lac-Mégantic community,” Netflix confirmed.
The decision was praised by Nathalie Roy, Canada’s Minister of Culture and Communications.
“This result shows that by being united and pooling our efforts, everything is possible,” wrote Nathalie on Twitter.
Ce geste était attendu par respect pour les victimes de cet horrible drame, leurs proches et toute la communauté de #LacMégantic. Ce résultat démontre qu’en étant solidaires et en mettant nos efforts en commun, tout est possible. https://t.co/fxLUzhPkpv#MCC #PolQc #AssNat
— Nathalie Roy (@NathalieRoyCAQ) March 14, 2019
In January, the mayor of Lac-Megantic unsuccesfully campaigned for Netflix to remove the footage, before the Canadian Parliament stepped in to demand compensation.
The controversy came after Bird Box sparked a viral challenge that saw users emulating the events of the film.
The viral craze saw users performing a variety of tasks while blindfolded, and saw the danger stakes being continually raised by YouTubers including Jake Paul – culminating in an incident when a teenage girl drove her car into the path of oncoming traffic while blindfolded.
The challenge consequently sparked a YouTube ban on videos that “depict challenges and pranks.”