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Image Courtesy: IMDb
The release of Melania Trump's new documentary in theatres unexpectedly gave a major boost to Michelle Obama’s 2020 documentary 'Becoming.'
When 'Melania' debuted in theatres on 30th January, viewership for 'Becoming' surged on Netflix in the United States. According to data from Luminate, the documentary saw its audience jump by more than 13,000 per cent by 1st February.
Over that weekend alone, viewers watched more than 47.5 million minutes of 'Becoming.' The weekend before, the film had logged just 354,000 minutes, making the spike especially striking.
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Image Courtesy: IMDb
'Melania' Documentary Performance And Budget
Meanwhile, 'Melania,' released by Amazon MGM Studios, performed solidly at the box office. The film opened with $7 million in domestic ticket sales, beating expectations, though still far below its reported $75 million budget for licensing and marketing. Prime Video has said that the cost also covers an upcoming docuseries and that some of the investment will be recovered once the film begins streaming through advertising and new Prime subscriptions.
The documentary drew a very specific audience. Data shared by Amazon MGM and reported by NPR showed that most viewers were white women over the age of 55. The strongest ticket sales came from cities including Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta, and West Palm Beach.
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Image Courtesy: NPR
Critics were largely unimpressed with the documentary film, giving it a very low score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, however, reacted far more positively, awarding it near-perfect ratings, highlighting the deep political divide that extends well beyond Washington.
The film follows Melania Trump in the days leading up to her husband's second inauguration, and it has received public praise from President Donald Trump, who has encouraged supporters to watch it.
