The Menendez Brothersdocumentary tops Netflix’s global chart followingMonsterseason 2’s success. The second season of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix anthology series, released on September 19,Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Storydramatized the story of the two brothers who were convicted of killing their parents in 1996. Netflix’s new documentary, directed by Alejandro Hartmann, tells the story of the two brothers featuring interviews with them in prison speaking for the first time in nearly 30 years about what really happened and their reasons for doing it.
Now, followingMonsterseason 2’s success, another Menendez brothers story fromNetflixis topping their global chart.The Menendez Brothersdocumentary ranked first on Netflix’s Global Top 10 films (English) for the week of October 7-13 with 22.7 million viewsand 44.7 million hours viewed. It ranked ahead ofThe Predator(2018) and the new Netflix original movieLonely Planetin the top three.
Why You Should Watch The Menendez Brothers Documentary
(Especially After Monster Season 2)
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, despite debuting as the number-one series on Netflix worldwide, received mixed reviews from critics, particularly for the portrayal of the brothers as incestuous and homoerotic. Erik Menendez himself criticized the season for its inaccuracies, especially in how Lyle was depicted. On the other hand,The Menendez Brothersdocumentaryaims to tell the true story of what happenedwith the brothers themselves discussing the events and their motivations through audio interviews from prison.
A Menendez Brothers Documentary Just Hit Netflix, And It’s The Perfect Follow-Up To Monsters
Jose and Kitty Menendez’s 1993 murder at the hands of their sons Lyle and Erik is portrayed very differently in the series and the documentary.
By featuring interviews with the brothers themselves,The Menendez Brothersdocumentary also risks being one-sided, as opposed toMonsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Storywhich uses the Rashomon effect to tell the story from various viewpoints. However, the documentary also provides other perspectives from key individuals who were involved in the case, such as family members, lawyers, jurors, journalists, and lead prosecutor Pamela Bozanich. Though the documentary may be more sensational than journalistic, it does provide different perspectives thanMonsterseason 2 and iswell worth a watch for those interested in the case.
Our Take On The Menendez Brothers' Netflix Success
It Was Well-Timed By Netflix
The success ofThe Menendez Brothersdocumentary is the result of well-timed content synergy by Netflix. A few days after premiering the dramatization,Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the documentary film was announced and released by Netflix on October 7, followed by a supplementary podcast that includes interviews and discussions that were cut from the film. This release strategy not only capitalized on the buzz generated byMonsterseason 2, but also invited audiences to delve deeper into the complex case of the Menendez brothers.
The Menendez Brothers
Cast
Lyle and Erik Menendez, imprisoned for killing their parents, recount the crime and the dramatic trials in this documentary.
