'Anna Nicole' Lifetime biopic breaks ratings records

The story of Anna Nicole Smith, the Marilyn-Monroe-inspired beauty with a similarly tragic tale roused record ratings for Lifetime’s Saturday night premiere. Though she died in 2007, the former 1993 Playmate of the Year is still captivating crowds.

Anna Nicole averaged averaged 3.3 million total viewers and the Lifetime biopic becomes the year’s number one cable movie premiere among female viewers and adults aged 25-54 and 18-49.

Starring Agnes Bruckner as Smith, Anna Nicole explores the ill-fated star’s trajectory from topless dancer, to millionaire wife, to single mom, and eventual pop cultural fascination. A former 1993 Playmate of the Year, Smith died from an accidental drug overdose in 2007.

The network will re-air Anna Nicole tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Read more:

PopWatch Viewing Party: Lifetime’s ‘Anna Nicole’

‘Anna Nicole’ a ‘new kind’ of Lifetime movie, ‘American Psycho’ director Mary Harron says