‘Kelce’ is the most watched documentary on Prime Video in the U.S.
The film debuted at No. 1 and remained among the top five movies overall on Prime Video for the first three weeks after its release.
Eagles center Jason Kelce: No. 1 in our hearts and on Amazon’s Prime Video charts.
Kelce — the Eagles captain’s eponymous documentary about weighing retirement while plowing toward a Super Bowl — is now the most-watched documentary in the United States on Amazon’s streaming service, reports Deadline.
The film debuted at No. 1 when it premiered on Sept. 11, and remained among the top five movies overall on Prime Video during the first three weeks of its release. Amazon has yet to release viewership numbers for Kelce.
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“We’re extremely proud of Kelce,” Matt Newman, the head of Prime Video’s original sports content, told Deadline. It is “the perfect example of the type of documentary we want to make at Amazon. It’s as much a story of family, parenting, and brotherhood as it is about football.”
Kelce — which was made by Philly-based documentary production company 9.14 Pictures — initially set out to be an entirely different film. Philly filmmakers Don Argott and Sheena Joyce were supposed to follow Kelce as he soft-launched retirement after 11 seasons in the NFL, speaking with other athletes about what it’s like to leave a sport they’ve dedicated their lives to.
That, of course, isn’t what happened: Kelce and the 2022 Birds had the NFC’s best season record, going on to win playoff game after playoff game until they fell short in Super Bowl LVII, where Kelce played against his brother, Travis, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Jason Kelce also hasn’t retired — yet.
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Kelce thus captures its star through a rollercoaster season, breaking up tape of practices and game days with the surprising mundanity of life in the NFL: Kelce watches his brother win the AFC championship from a Chickie’s & Pete’s and bartends in Sea Isle City. His then-pregnant wife Kylie goes to doctor’s appointments. His family bemoans a prolonged career as Kelce follows a diligent pain-management regimen.
“It’s a love story between the Eagles and their fans, a city and a team, Jason and his wife, Jason and his brother, Jason and his parents,” Joyce told The Inquirer earlier this year.
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This isn’t the first time Kelce has topped a chart other than the NFL power rankings. A Philly Special Christmas — a.k.a. the banger charity album Kelce recorded with O-line besties Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson — topped four Billboard charts during the first week of January and raised $1.25 million for the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center toy drive and summer camp.