Critics hated it, but “Melania,” a Trump movie about the first lady directed by Brett Ratner, exceeded expectations.
‘Melania’ Trailer – Trump and his wife return to the White House in documentary
Melania Trump is the subject of the documentary “Melania,” which covers the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s inauguration as president in 2025.
“Melania,” the controversial documentary featuring first lady Melania Trump, has made a surprising $7 million in its opening weekend, according to estimates released by Amazon MGM Studios on Sunday, February 1.
“Melania,” directed by Brett Ratner, who has been in Hollywood exile since denying sexual harassment allegations in 2017, was being pursued for an opening of $3 million to $5 million. The film depicts the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration in 2025 from the perspective of President Trump’s wife. Final box office figures will be announced on February 2nd.
Jeff Bock, senior media analyst for exhibitor relations, said in an interview with USA TODAY the week before the release that over $1 million is “a huge number.” “That means a lot of people who don’t normally go to the movies went to see it.”
“Melania”‘s opening performance was so strong that it ranked third in the top five domestically over the weekend. It fell behind two horror-leaning debuts, the survival comedy/thriller “Send Help” ($20 million) and the indie horror film “Iron Lung” ($17.9 million), but outperformed Disney’s sequel “Zootopia 2” ($5.8 million), which opened its ninth weekend at the box office, and Jason Statham’s new action movie “Shelter” ($5.5 million).
Critics gutted the documentary – on Rotten Tomatoes, “Melania” has a horribly positive Tomatometer score of 11%. However, it maintains a 99% approval rating on the website’s audience popcorn meter, and the film also received an A in the CinemaScore poll.
Kevin Wilson, head of domestic theatrical distribution for Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement: “The initial box office sales of ‘Melania’ exceeded expectations, and we are very encouraged by the strong start and positive audience response.”
“Melania” had a flashier twist than most documentaries. Melania Trump hosted a private screening of the film at the White House a week ago, and attended the film’s premiere at the Trump Kennedy Center in Washington on January 29, along with many other guests. The VIP list also included rapper Nicki Minaj. Media personality Dr. Phil. and Cabinet members Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Although “Melania” exceeded box office expectations, it still had a ways to go before it turned a profit. Jeff Bezos’ Amazon MGM Studios reportedly purchased the film and related documentary series for $40 million, and spent an additional $35 million on marketing. Both are scheduled to be released on Prime Video later this year, and Amazon plans to recoup some of the cost of “Melania” through advertising and subscriptions to its streaming service.
