Michelle Obama and Melania Trump embroiled in online popularity war over their respective film projects

A battle of the first ladies has taken over social media – with Michelle Obama’s documentary enjoying a sudden spike in popularity amid Melania Trump’s debut film.

Almost six years after it first premiered on Netflix in 2020, Obama’s Becoming has found a fresh lease of life, making it to the streaming service’s Daily Top 10 in the United States this week.

The documentary’s sudden rise in popularity correlates with the release of Trump’s documentary, titled Melania, which debuted in theaters last week.

Both films follow the first ladies at pivotal moments in their careers and lives in the White House – Obama, as she tours with her memoir, and Trump in the 20 days in January of last year before President Donald Trump’s inauguration. 

While Obama’s film wasn’t instantly popular, receiving around 1.5 million views between 2023 and 2025, according to Netflix engagement data, it has retained a somewhat steady viewership over the past six years.

Melania earned $7 million in ticket sales across the US and Canada last week, making it the best-performing theatrical release for a documentary, outside of concert films, since 2012.

It surpassed initial ticket sale projections, which sat around $3 million to $5 million, based on the pace of ticket sales last week. 

The film cost $40 million to license and $35 million to market.

In light of the increased interest in Obama’s film, many of her fans have taken to social media to pledge their allegiance to their favorite First Lady – as well as her body of work.

‘If you want to watch a documentary about a smart, accomplished, classy First Lady, watch Becoming on Netflix. Michelle Obama is a true national treasure,’ one user shared to X, formerly Twitter.

Another snarked: ‘Funny how Melania’s movie opening is so similar to Becoming – hmmm… Melania always copying a real First Lady Michelle Obama who is a truly intellectual. Jealous a little?’

‘Rather than wasting time watching a vapid woman walk in and out of rooms and cars in Louboutins, watch ‘Becoming,’ about Michelle Obama, a first lady with substance AND style, intelligence, humor and heart. 

‘You will be reminded that once we had a first lady as good as she was,’ someone wrote.

However, on the other hand, many championed Melania’s film, which had the biggest opening for a non-fiction feature in the last decade.

‘Michelle Obama’s BECOMING documentary on Netflix. That is a hard pass!!!’ one Melania fan furiously wrote.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Melania received five percent on Tomatometer, while Becoming has a whopping 93 percent.

However, Obama’s film has a 77 percent audience score, while Melania has an impressive 99 percent audience score.

According to Newsweek, Obama’s 2020 film, directed by Nadia Hallgren, re-entered the movie rankings over the weekend, first debuting at number eight, before moving up to sixth position on Monday.

The documentary, produced by the Obama’s media company Higher Ground Productions, has an 89-minute runtime.

It follows the former first lady on her 34-city tour to support her bestselling memoir of the same name.

The logline for the film reads: ‘Join former first lady Michelle Obama in an intimate documentary looking at her life, hopes, and connection with others as she tours with ‘Becoming.’ The approach focuses on her personal reflections, family roots, and the people she meets on the road.’

Melania, which was directed by Rush Hour’s Brett Ratner, has an increased runtime of 108 minutes.

It was the first movie directed by Ratner since 2017, when he was accused by six women of sexual misconduct. Ratner has denied the allegations.