Netflix says Lac-Mégantic footage will be removed from Bird Box movie

After initially refusing, Netflix has agreed to remove images of the 2013 Lac-Mégantic rail disaster from the film Bird Box.

A spokesperson said in an email to The Canadian Press that the streaming company is sorry for any pain it caused to the residents of Lac-Mégantic, Que.

People in the town and across the province were shocked after learning in January that footage from the derailment and explosion that killed 47 people was used in the psychological thriller starring Sandra Bullock.

Demands that the brief scene be removed came from politicians at all levels, including Lac-Mégantic Mayor Julie Morin.

Morin said she's satisfied with this outcome. 

"Yes, there was a delay, but in the end, the most important thing is that people came to the conclusion that the situation was significant enough to settle," she said. 

Quebec Culture Minister Nathalie Roy wrote to the company in January calling for it to remove the footage of the burning town.

The company apologized and promised to do better, but until now had refused to edit the film to remove the images.

The removal of the images was "long awaited" by the Quebec population, Roy said Thursday in a statement.

She said the people from Lac-Mégantic who were "hit hard by this whole affair" were in her thoughts. 

At the federal level, a motion was passed in the House of Commons that asked Netflix to remove the images and pay compensation to the community. 

Federal Heritage Minister Pablo Rodríguez said in a statement Thursday the company made the right decision by removing the images. 

The version of Bird Box without the Lac-Mégantic images will be released within two weeks, according to the Canadian Press.