Lifetime’s Whitney Houston biopic draws 4.5 million viewers despite family disapproval

Even though Whitney Houston’s family didn’t want to have anything to do with it, fans still tuned in to see Lifetime’s Whitney. The movie was Lifetime’s most-watched made-for-TV film in nearly a year.

The network said that the two-hour movie, directed by Angela Bassett, drew 4.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched movie since January 2014’s Flowers in the Attic. During the first hour, it averaged 2.2 million viewers in the key 18-49 demographic.

The late Houston was the subject for all Lifetime programming that night and viewers stuck around for the next show, Bobby Brown: Remembering Whitney. The exclusive interview with Houston’s ex-husband drew 4.1 million total viewers, holding on to 91 percent of the Whitney audience.

At 11 p.m., Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances drew 3.2 million viewers. The special was hosted by Clive Davis and promoted the new collection of live Houston recordings.

While Bassett helmed the movie, the Houston family was still highly critical. Her sister-in-law, Pat Houston, came out swinging on Houston’s official site. “If you watch this movie, watch it knowing that Lifetime is notorious for making bad biopics of deceased celebrities and brace yourself for the worst,” Pat Houston wrote.

Cissy Houston, Houston’s mother, also slammed the project in July, after Yaya DaCosta was cast to play her late daughter. “We are exhausted by the continuing misinformation and comments offered by people who did not know her. Please please let her rest,” Cissy Houston said in a statement at the time.

image courtesy of Tina Kaawaloa/INFevents.com

WordPress › Error

There has been a critical error on your website.

Learn more about debugging in WordPress.