Yahoo Lifestyle Red Ribbons and a Wild Car Fight: How Viral Social Media Moments Elevated ‘Carry-On’ to Netflix Royalty
Just two months ago, a red ribbon tied to a piece of luggage only meant one thing: your bag wouldn’t get lost in the sea of identical suitcases at baggage claim. That was a simpler time.
Thanks to “Carry-On,” Netflix’s high-octane Christmas Eve thriller starring Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman, a simple ribbon has taken on an entirely new meaning. In the movie directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Egerton plays Ethan Klein, a TSA agent blackmailed by a ruthless bioterrorist into allowing his red-ribboned carry-on containing a lethal nerve agent to pass through the airport security checkpoint.
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The first film out of Netflix’s creative partnership with Amblin was an instant hit for the streamer upon its release on Dec. 13, and has since become its third most-watched film ever (“Red Notice” and “Don’t Look Up” currently hold the top two spots).
While its compelling premise and prominent placement on Netflix’s homepage certainly drew many to give the film a click, what solidified “Carry-On” as a blockbuster of the streaming era is its massive social media footprint.
It’s not a new strategy for the streamer: Christmas 2019 saw the Sandra Bullock-led “Bird Box” spawn a viral blindfold challenge, a nationwide cellular outage in early 2024 had Twitter abuzz with “Leave the World Behind” references, and “Damsel” clocked over 1.3 billion impressions on Netflix’s social pages alone last year. All three films hold spots on the top ten most-watched list, alongside “Carry-On.”
For Collet-Serra, virality was a new concept. “Honestly, I’m not a social media person. I’m naturally an introvert. That’s why I became a director, because I thought that I wouldn’t have to talk to people,” he tells Variety over Zoom with a laugh. While he’s not scrolling X and Instagram in search of memes himself, he’s certainly become aware of the film’s hefty presence. “That’s the way that movies now need to connect with the audience, right? The good old marketing has changed into this medium, and I think it’s a good, welcome way.”
On Netflix’s owned social pages alone, “Carry-On” content racked up a whopping 907 million impressions. This content included original video ideas, like forcing Taron Egerton to wear a hidden earpiece and receive zany instructions from co-star Sofia Carson in a clip that amassed 21.3 million impressions, and behind-the-scenes moments from the premiere with Carson, who herself boasts over 20 million followers.
But the true brilliance of the campaign came from a keen understanding of what was gaining organic traction. In one memorable scene from the film, Danielle Deadwyler’s character pulls a gun on her enemy while in a car traveling at top speeds on an L.A. highway. The scene quickly made the rounds on social media, but Netflix’s team was ahead of the game. Knowing the fight would be a standout, they capitalized on the existing attention and released a side-by-side video showing how the epic sequence was pulled off, garnering over 22.8 million impressions on the Netflix Geeked social channels.
The good word even made it to real-life border protection agencies. Overseas, the Australian Border Force shared a photo of a bag with a red ribbon, writing, “It’s Christmas Eve. If you’re travelling today and this is what your carry on looks like, expect a few extra looks from us.”
The TSA released a commendation to the film’s heroes, writing, “The Transportation Security Administration would like to recognize Transportation Security Officers Ethan Kopek and Eddie Dominguez, LAPD Detective Elena Cole, and Director of Northwind Terminal Operations Nora Parisi for their heroic actions on December 24th that saved the lives of many. They bravely, calmly, and epically, foiled the plans of individuals with malicious intent to bring something we would describe as ‘a big no-no’ on the plane.”
Could all this internet goodwill lead to a sequel for the viral phenom? While Collet-Serra says it’s “not in the cards” just yet, he’s leaving the door open to more “Carry-On” in the future. “I would like to definitely make another one. When we started with the movie, it certainly felt like one unique story in a moment in time with a set of characters. If an idea comes to us that feels like we can do something that is as original as the first one, and that can connect with the audience in the same way, then we’ll explore that.”
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