Michelle Obama’s Netflix documentary, Becoming, boasted extremely high viewership figures the same weekend Melania Trump’s self-titled documentary opened in theaters.
According to People, between January 30 and February 1, Obama’s 2020 doc reached 47.5 million minutes of viewership on the streaming platform, equating to a 13,300 percent boost. The weekend before, Becoming only garnered 354,000 minutes on Netflix.
Melania had its global debut on January 30, earning $7 million at the domestic box office, surpassing initial estimates. Directed by Brett Ratner, the doc followed the first lady over the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
The film’s box office sales make it the biggest opening for a non-fiction film in the last 10 years. Of the ticket buyers, 70 percent were women, and 72 percent were over 55 years old. The first viewing of Melania took place at the White House on January 24, and the official premiere happened at the Kennedy Center on January 29.
"I am deeply humbled to have been surrounded by an inspiring room of friends, family, and cultural iconoclasts at the White House last night," Melania wrote on X last month. "Each of these individuals each brought their unique vision to the world, making a lasting impression."
Amazon MGM Studios purchased Melania for $40 million, 70 percent of which might have gone directly to Melania, per the outlet. The studio then spent another $35 million on marketing, which included the Las Vegas Sphere.
Michelle’s 2020 documentary was titled after her best-selling 2018 memoir, which chronicled her life after Barack Obama’s second presidential term.
