Melania Documentary Experiences Sharp 67% Box Office Drop in Second Week
Despite an expanded release to approximately 2,000 screens across the United States, the authorised documentary Melania, directed by Brett Ratner, has suffered a significant 67% decline in its second week of theatrical exhibition. The film, which chronicles the first lady's activities in the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump's January 2025 inauguration, initially outperformed expectations with a domestic opening weekend gross of $7.2 million, prompting Amazon to increase its screen count from around 1,500 to over 2,000 venues.
Box Office Performance and Strategic Response
However, audience appetite appears to have waned rapidly, with Sunday projections indicating a mere $2.3 million in earnings, resulting in a drop from No. 3 to No. 10 in the US box office rankings. In anticipation of this downturn, Amazon MGM issued a statement on Saturday, emphasising the film's robust initial performance and its potential for longevity in the streaming arena. Kevin Wilson, Amazon MGM's distribution chief, remarked, "Melania's strong theatrical performance is a critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy, building awareness, engagement and provides momentum ahead of the film's eventual debut on Prime Video." A specific streaming release date has yet to be announced.
Globally, the documentary has been released in 26 countries, with a last-minute cancellation in South Africa. International performance has been notably weaker, with the film screening on roughly 3,000 overseas screens. Top-performing territories include the United Kingdom, where it debuted at No. 29 in the chart, generating £32,974 with a per-screen average of £212, as well as Australia and Melania Trump's native Slovenia.
Critical Reception and Audience Score Disparity
Critics have largely panned the film, with The Guardian's Xan Brooks describing it as "a gilded trash remake of The Zone of Interest" and "two hours of pure, endless hell." In stark contrast, audience responses on Rotten Tomatoes have been overwhelmingly positive, leading to a record-breaking gap between the aggregate critics' score of 8% and the audience score of 99% on the Popcornmeter. One verified user praised it as "the best documentary I've seen in years. The cinematography was superb, the soundtrack was excellent, and Melania herself was spectacular, a great movie which should receive numerous awards."
Controversy Over Review Authenticity
Rotten Tomatoes' parent company, Versant, has dismissed speculation that the high audience score stems from fabricated reviews, asserting to Variety that "there has been NO manipulation on the audience reviews for the Melania documentary." They clarified that reviews contributing to the Popcornmeter rating are verified, meaning users have purchased tickets through Fandango. Nonetheless, a notable discrepancy exists between these verified reviews, which are predominantly from first-time posters and effusively laudatory, and the "all audience reviews" section, which includes more critical assessments from users with prior engagement on the site. Examples of negative feedback include comments such as "I thought it would have been based on her actual life, good and bad. There was no emotion, drama or depth. It's just a bad reality show," and "Hot garbage. Don't waste your time or money."
The documentary, for which Amazon paid $40 million following a competitive bidding war and invested an additional $35 million in marketing, continues to generate discussion amidst its box office struggles and polarising reception.
