The theatrical release of First Lady Melania Trump’s new film appears to have triggered an unexpected side effect: a massive resurgence in viewership for her predecessor Michelle Obama’s 2020 Netflix documentary, Becoming.
According to data from analytics firm Luminate, Becoming saw a staggering 13,000 percent increase in U.S. viewership over the same weekend Melania debuted in theaters. The documentary logged more than 47.5 million minutes streamed during that period, up from just 354,000 minutes the previous weekend. Based on runtime, that translates to roughly 480,000 full streams.
The spike coincided with Melania’s opening weekend, which — despite overwhelmingly negative reviews — marked the largest theatrical debut for a non-fiction feature in the past decade, pulling in about $7 million domestically. Still, industry analysts say the film is unlikely to recoup its massive cost. Amazon MGM reportedly paid $40 million to acquire the project and spent an additional $35 million on marketing.
Becoming follows Michelle Obama during her nationwide book tour for her best-selling memoir, offering an intimate look at her upbringing in Chicago, her relationship with her late father, and her life alongside Barack Obama. The documentary was widely praised upon release for its warmth and candor.
By contrast, Melania focuses on the current first lady in the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025. The film shows Melania preparing for the event through meetings with stylists, designers, and political allies, culminating in scenes of her attending the swearing-in ceremony alongside her husband.
The project also marked the return of director Brett Ratner, who stepped away from Hollywood after multiple sexual misconduct allegations surfaced in 2017. Ratner has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged. According to Rolling Stone, roughly two-thirds of the film’s crew asked to have their names removed from the credits.
Critical response to Melania has been brutal. In a one-star review for The Independent, critic Nick Hilton described the film as “somewhere between reality TV and pure fiction,” arguing that it felt more staged than documentary. He wrote that Melania appeared to be “playing a version of herself” rather than offering genuine insight.
Asked about the film’s performance at its Jan. 29 premiere at the Kennedy Center, Trump dismissed reports of weak ticket sales.
“It’s a very tough business in theaters selling movie tickets after Covid,” he said. “I think this will do unbelievable — streaming and everything. Theaters are a different world.”
Meanwhile, audiences appear to have made their own comparison. As Melania arrived on the big screen, millions of viewers turned back to Becoming, suggesting renewed interest in a very different portrait of life inside — and beyond — the White House.
