Melania Trump's highly anticipated documentary has delivered disappointing financial results in British cinemas, with opening weekend figures revealing a significant commercial shortfall for the Amazon-backed production.
UK Box Office Performance Falls Short
Despite considerable pre-release fanfare and substantial financial backing, Melania: 20 Days to History has struggled to attract audiences across the United Kingdom. The documentary managed to generate just £32,974 from 155 cinemas during its opening weekend, representing a minuscule return on its reported $75 million (£54.6 million) production budget.
Financial Figures Paint Grim Picture
The opening weekend takings equate to approximately 0.06% of the film's production costs, with an average of only £212.80 per cinema screen. This performance has placed the Brett Ratner-directed documentary in 29th position on the UK box office chart, far below expectations for a production of this scale and profile.
The muted response comes despite initial interest generated by the film's focus on Melania Trump's experiences during the lead-up to Donald Trump's 2025 presidential inauguration. The documentary promised behind-the-scenes access to one of the most scrutinised figures in modern political life.
International Performance Similarly Underwhelming
Even in the United States, where the documentary might have been expected to perform more strongly given its subject matter, the film has failed to meet commercial expectations. On its opening day, the production took $2.9 million (£2.1 million) from 1,778 cinemas, being outperformed by the independently financed horror film Iron Lung.
While the documentary did exceed some modest initial projections - with opening weekend expectations rising from $5 million to approximately $7 million - industry analysts still regard the performance as a commercial disappointment given the substantial investment involved.
Critical Reception and Political Response
Film critics have largely offered negative assessments of the documentary, with audience turnout remaining limited despite the controversial subject matter. Nevertheless, both Melania and Donald Trump have presented a different narrative regarding the film's success.
The BBC reported that Melania Trump described the documentary as "loved by all", while President Trump, speaking from the Oval Office's Resolute Desk, declared it a "tremendous success". He added: "It's the number one documentary in 19 years - can you believe this?"
The Guardian noted that while the specific statistic referenced by Trump remained unclear, the film did achieve one of the stronger recent box-office openings for a documentary, though this must be viewed within the context of generally modest expectations for the genre.
Psychological Analysis of Public Persona
The disappointing box office figures emerge alongside renewed public scrutiny of the relationship between Melania and Donald Trump. According to psychotherapist and confidence specialist Shelly Dar, speaking to the Mirror US, many common assumptions about the former First Lady may be fundamentally misplaced.
Dar suggests that Melania Trump has developed considerable skill in maintaining firm personal boundaries within the public eye. "When we analyse Melania Trump, it can look like she's sad or worried, but what we're really seeing is her restraint," Dar explained. "Her public presence is so controlled and so neutral and very deliberate. And as First Lady, that restraint tightens even more because of the pressure and the cost of mistakes is very high."
The specialist continued: "Psychologically, her body language doesn't communicate any emotions - it communicates boundaries. She doesn't perform emotions for comfort, something that we're used to in the Western world."
This analysis offers a potential explanation for the documentary's failure to connect with wider audiences, suggesting that the controlled, boundary-focused persona that has served Melania Trump in political life may not translate effectively to cinematic storytelling aimed at mass entertainment.
