Melania Trump Documentary Records Strong $8 Million US Box Office Debut
Amazon's documentary film Melania, focusing on the former first lady, has reportedly exceeded box office expectations with a robust opening weekend in the United States. The film earned over $8 million, marking the strongest debut for a documentary in more than a decade. This performance highlights a significant audience turnout, particularly among targeted demographics.
High Costs Prevent Profit Despite Strong Opening
However, Melania fell substantially short of turning a profit due to its considerable production and promotion expenses. The documentary cost $40 million to make and an additional $35 million to promote, resulting in a total expenditure of $75 million. This financial outlay has sparked criticism, especially as Amazon recently cut 16,000 corporate jobs, leading some to question the investment as a potential ploy to curry favour with Donald Trump during his second presidency.
Target Audience and Box Office Performance
The film's earnings were driven by a strategic focus on older conservatives, with subjects appealing to interests commonly associated with Donald Trump's supporters, such as patriotism, Christianity, and family values. According to industry reports, the opening-day audience was predominantly women over the age of 55, comprising 72% of viewers. Rural theaters contributed approximately 46% of the opening-weekend box office, with Republican counties accounting for about 53% of ticket sales. Top-performing states included conservative strongholds like Florida and Texas.
Despite its financial success, Melania was outperformed at the box office by two horror films: Iron Lung and Rachel McAdams's Send Help. It did, however, manage to surpass the action film Shelter in earnings.
Critical Reception and Controversies
The documentary has received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics. The Guardian awarded it one star, describing it as "dispiriting, deadly and unrevealing," and suggesting that while a decent documentary about Melania Trump could be made, this version is "unredeemable." Similarly, the Hollywood Reporter labelled it an "expensive propaganda doc" that fawns over its subject to an extreme degree.
Director Brett Ratner, who has largely retreated from Hollywood following sexual misconduct allegations during the #MeToo movement, defended the film at its premiere. He emphasised that the high budget was allocated to hiring the best crew and composers, aiming to create a great movie rather than engage in corruption. Notably, on the same day the film opened, Ratner appeared in photos released by Trump's justice department as part of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, though he has not publicly commented on this.
Production Background and Statements
Donald Trump has stated that he was not involved in negotiations over the documentary's $75 million price tag. Melania Trump mentioned that producers approached several distributors, with Amazon being selected for its commitment to global theatrical releases. The film follows her preparations to re-enter the White House in early 2025, adding a timely political dimension to its release.
