Former U.S. President Barack Obama and ex-First Lady Michelle Obama have achieved a new milestone with their first hit film, “Leave the World Behind,” which was released on Dec. 8 on streaming giant Netflix Inc. NFLX.
What Happened: The Obamas’ apocalyptic thriller has rapidly ascended to the top of Netflix’s charts, reported Bloomberg.
The over-two-hour movie is currently the number one picture in 85 countries, as per FlixPatrol, a platform that tracks viewing on streaming services. The movie is about two families trapped in a family vacation home after a cyberattack which results in a massive blackout. It narrates their battle for survival against an unknown threat.
Samba TV, a market research firm, reported that the film attracted 2.6 million U.S. viewers within its first two days of release — a 73% increase from Netflix’s previous major release, “The Killer.”
See Also: Global Outage Impacts Netflix Amid Frustrations Over Increasing Subscription Costs
“Leave the World Behind” is a joint venture between the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions, actors Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and acclaimed “Mr. Robot” director Sam Esmail.
While social media users are divided about the movie, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been responding to posts on X (formerly Twitter), which alleged that the movie has a scene “bashing white people.”
Why It Matters: This new venture into film production marks a significant progression for the Obamas after their political careers.
Earlier this year, the former President spoke against the streaming companies and supported fair wages during the writers’ strike.
He said, “I know there are many studios and streamers who feel a little bit embattled, and there’s been a little bit too much of a glut of product and they’re looking at their bottom line and their experiencing shareholder pressure.”
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This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Netflix
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