Digital release of the Oscar-winning documentary by Mstislav Chernov was marked by new records for Ukrainian streaming.
According to reports from platforms that Forbes cites, «20 Days in Mariupol» became the absolute record holder in terms of views on Takflix streaming on its debut weekend, beating «My Thoughts Are Quiet» by Antonio Lukic and «Ivano-Frankivskteplocomunenergo Sings» by Nadiya Parfan, and showed record-breaking sales for «Kyivstar TV», outperforming not only Ukrainian but also global hits (in the period from March 21 to 24, the film entered the top 10 in terms of the number of views among all VOD content).
On Volia TV «20 days in Mariupol», about 18% of users watched the movie — in total, in just three days, the film collected five times more views than all other films of the online cinema. On Megogo, Chernov’s work was accessed by over 21,000 people (including pre-orders) — the film set a record for streaming among documentaries and became one of the leaders in the overall rating.
It should be noted that «20 days in Mariupol» also became the highest-grossing documentary in Ukraine with a box office of UAH 2.2 million in early March. Overseas, the film is available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime, and is also available on Google Play, Microsoft Movies & TV, and other digital platforms.
«20 days in Mariupol» — the first Ukrainian film in the history of Ukraine that won «Oscar» in the «Best Documentary» nomination. The film tells the story of the siege of Mariupol in February-March 2022 — the Associated Press team, who were the last journalists in the city at the time, documented the siege and the humanitarian catastrophe it caused, the work of doctors, the bombing of a maternity hospital, mass graves of dead civilians, and other crimes committed by Russians. The film was produced by director Mstislav Chernov, photographer Yevhen Malolietka, and producer Vasilisa Stepanenko, all three of whom won Pulitzer Prizes.