Despite claims of strong ticket sales from former President Donald Trump, the $75 million documentary about Melania Trump is facing a likely box office disappointment, with sparse attendance reported in early screenings across the globe. From near-empty cinemas in London and Australia to protests over the film’s screening, “Melania” is struggling to draw audiences, raising questions about public interest in the former First lady and the significant investment made by Amazon MGM Studios. The film, directed by Brett Ratner, is set to premiere at the Kennedy Center on Thursday amid bleak forecasts.
Melania Trump’s $75 million film is facing a box office flop. Numbers from London are surprising – in Australia, attendance was even lower.
Washington D.C. – The film’s release has been met with largely empty theaters, signaling a potential disaster for Melania Trump’s $75 million documentary, “Melania.” Despite Donald Trump’s claims on Truth Social that tickets are “selling out fast,” box office figures tell a different story. The film’s performance is being closely watched as a test of the enduring public interest in the former First Family.
Trump-News: Few Viewers for Melania Film – Donald Makes Announcement
At the Vue cinema in Islington, London, only a single ticket was sold for the Friday 3:10 PM showing. The evening screening at 6:00 PM attracted just two moviegoers. Vue Chief Tim Richards described sales as “weak” and confirmed the cinema had received numerous complaints from citizens protesting the film’s screening.
The situation is even more dire in Australia: a cinema in Sydney sold zero tickets for its Friday showing. In Cronulla, only one person attended a screening. The sparse attendance figures clearly indicate a lack of public interest.
Disaster for Melania Film? Forecast for Rotten Tomatoes
CNN data analyst Harry Enten offered a scathing forecast for the documentary on Tuesday. Appearing on “Erin Burnett OutFront,” he stated the film has a 63 percent chance of scoring below 20 percent on the review aggregation platform Rotten Tomatoes. “That’s not good, to be under 20 percent,” Enten warned, placing “Melania” in the company of films like the third “Jaws” installment (1987, 15 percent) and the ninth “American Pie” film (2020, 13 percent).
Early weekend box office projections are sobering: between $1 million and $5 million is forecast for the U.S. and Canada. “Not so great,” Enten commented dryly. By comparison, Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” earned $23.9 million on its opening weekend in 2004 – equivalent to $41 million today when adjusted for inflation.
Trump Announces Support for Wife’s Film – Expert Raises Concerns
Despite the bleak outlook, Donald Trump has attempted to promote the film about his wife. He described the documentary as a “MUST WATCH” on Truth Social and claimed tickets were “selling out fast.” However, the reality in cinemas worldwide paints a very different picture.
Amazon MGM Studios invested heavily in the project: $40 million for the film rights and an additional $35 million for marketing. This total investment of $75 million makes “Melania” the most expensive documentary ever produced.
CNN’s Enten speculated on the connection between Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and the Trump administration: “All that advertising, all that effort to build an audience that isn’t currently showing up to actually see it.” Bezos’s net worth has increased by $35 billion since Trump’s election victory in November 2024.
The film, which focuses on the 20 days leading up to Trump’s inauguration in January 2025 from Melania’s perspective, will premiere at the Kennedy Center on Thursday. It was directed by Brett Ratner, who has been ostracized from Hollywood since 2017 following allegations of sexual misconduct – allegations he denies. (Sources: The Daily Beast, The Guardian, CNN, 9News Australia) (jkk)
