First lady Melania Trump’s new, self-titled documentary appears to have sparked an unexpected counter-reaction: a flood of viewers turning to a former first lady’s film instead.
Michelle Obama’s 2020 documentary, Becoming, recorded a 13,300% jump in viewership during Melania’s opening weekend, according to fresh data from entertainment analytics firm Luminate.
Between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1—the same window when Trump’s documentary debuted in theaters—Becoming racked up 47.5 million minutes watched on Netflix. The previous weekend, it had drawn just 354,000 minutes, making the spike dramatic and immediate.
Named after Obama’s best-selling 2018 memoir, Becoming offers what Netflix describes as a “rare and up-close look at her life,” following her post-White House journey and taking viewers behind the scenes of her 34-city book tour.
Melania’s film opens big, draws an older, female-skewing audience
Trump’s documentary, Melania, launched globally in theaters on Friday, Jan. 30. Directed by Brett Ratner, the film was acquired by Amazon MGM Studios for $40 million—with The Wall Street Journal reporting that up to 70% of that amount may have gone directly to the first lady. The project reportedly also carried a hefty marketing push totaling $35 million, including a high-visibility campaign that put Melania’s face on the Las Vegas Sphere.
At the box office, Melania posted $7.04 million in its opening weekend, beating pre-release projections.
Deadline reported that the opening marked the largest debut for a non-fiction film in the past decade. The prior record, according to the outlet, was 2023’s After Death, which opened to $5 million.
Audience demographics leaned heavily older: opening weekend ticket buyers were reportedly 70% female, and 72% were in their 70s.
Inside the documentary’s timeline—and the rollout
The film focuses on the 20 days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration, framed through Melania’s perspective as the incoming first lady.
Ahead of the official theatrical release—and as protests unfolded in Minneapolis following the fatal Border Patrol shooting of Alex Pretti—Trump, 55, hosted a private screening at the White House on Jan. 24, calling it “a historic moment.”
“I am deeply humbled to have been surrounded by an inspiring room of friends, family, and cultural iconoclasts at the White House last night. Each of these individuals brought their unique vision to the world, making a lasting impression,” she wrote in a post on X.
“Our personal stories endure time and serve as a reminder of our mutual obligation to one another. It was an honor to present my new film, MELANIA, ahead of its global launch,” she added.
The film’s official premiere followed on Jan. 29 at the Kennedy Center.
What’s next: streaming release still TBD
Despite its opening, Melania did not crack box office tracker Comscore’s top 10 global list for the weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Still, the film is expected to land on Amazon Prime Video later, with additional footage included.
So far, no Prime Video release date has been announced.
