The ‘Melania’ documentary fared higher than anticipated in film theaters : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7024x4686+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F12%2F49%2F81f3c24b43839f5e8914d1c0ee29%2Fgettyimages-2258666360.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7024x4686+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F12%2F49%2F81f3c24b43839f5e8914d1c0ee29%2Fgettyimages-2258666360.jpg" class="img" alt="Advertisements for the First Lady's new film are displayed as Melania Trump appears at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) where she rang the opening bell on Jan. 28, 2026 in New York City." fetchpriority="high"/> Adverts for the Melania film on the New York Inventory Alternate, the place the primary woman rang the bell final week. Spencer Platt/Getty Photos conceal caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Photos First woman Melania Trump's documentary outperformed field workplace expectations throughout its opening weekend, bringing in about $7 million domestically.

Viewers members had been largely white (75%), ladies (70%), and 55 or over (72%). Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta and West Palm Seashore had been among the many prime markets over the weekend, in keeping with knowledge from Amazon MGM Studios.

Amazon acquired the rights to the film in early 2025 for $40 million. The corporate ran a flashy rollout for the movie, spending $35 million on advertising, resulting in questions on whether or not such a hefty price ticket included incomes President Trump's favor — or attempting to. Melania is among the most costly documentary movies ever made, with the primary woman herself taking up the function of an government producer.

Critics have panned the film, which premiered on the Kennedy Middle final week with protesters dressed as Marie Antoinette exterior. TikTokers inspired viewers to as a substitute watch Changing into, Michelle Obama's 2020 Netflix documentary, which broke the service's prime 10 hottest motion pictures within the U.S. over the weekend.

Documentaries hardly ever obtain extensive theatrical releases, however Melania opened on greater than 1,500 screens all through the U.S. this weekend. Forward of the movie's international launch on Friday, many on social media shared pictures of their native theaters by which almost each seat for Melania showings remained obtainable for buy. Analysts had been predicting ticket gross sales within the $5 million vary — making the $7 million field workplace excellent news for Amazon.

For a way of scale: The highest-grossing movie this weekend was the survival horror thriller Ship Assist, which introduced in $20 million. Following shut behind was Iron Lung, additionally a horror movie, at almost $18 million.

However, writes David A. Gross in his trade e-newsletter FranchiseRe, "This is a wonderful opening for a political documentary, at greater than double the typical for the style ... These are small motion pictures, and this can be a massive begin for a documentary."

Gross instructed NPR by way of e-mail that the movie's viewers "matches with the Trump fan base. The weekend viewers gave the movie a glowing A CinemaScore," which polls moviegoers. "They see Melania as an achieved function mannequin — somebody they give the impression of being as much as."

"Pretty much as good as this opening is for a documentary," says Gross in his e-newsletter, "for some other movie, with $75 million in prices and restricted overseas potential, it will be an issue."

Amazon is undeterred. Kevin Wilson, Amazon MGM Studios' head of home theatrical distribution, mentioned in a press release that the field workplace numbers exceeded expectations — and {that a} docuseries could be on the best way.

"This momentum is a vital first step in what we see as a long-tail lifecycle for each the movie and the forthcoming docu-series, extending nicely past the theatrical window and into what we imagine will likely be a major run for each on our service."

A notoriously non-public individual, the primary woman has gained a status as a mysterious determine who intently controls her public picture. Melania follows the primary woman through the 20 days main as much as President Trump's inauguration in January 2025, together with preparation for a candle-lit inaugural dinner at which the digital camera breezes by Jeff Bezos a number of occasions. Cameras additionally comply with the design course of for her inauguration outfits, and her grieving course of after her mom Amalija Knavs' demise.