Melania Documentary Experiences Sharp 67% Box Office Decline in Second Week
The authorised documentary Melania, directed by Brett Ratner and following the former first lady during the twenty days preceding Donald Trump's January 2025 inauguration, has suffered a dramatic 67% decline in its second week of release across United States cinemas. This substantial drop comes despite the film's initial strong performance and an expanded theatrical rollout by distributor Amazon MGM Studios.
From Strong Opening to Rapid Decline
During its opening weekend, Melania exceeded industry expectations by generating $7.2 million in domestic ticket sales, securing the number three position in the US box office charts. This promising start prompted Amazon to significantly expand the film's theatrical presence from approximately 1,500 venues to just over 2,000 screens nationwide.
However, the expanded availability failed to sustain audience interest, with Sunday projections indicating a sharp decline to just $2.3 million in earnings. This dramatic fall represents a plummet from third to tenth position in the weekly box office rankings, suggesting that initial curiosity had largely been satisfied during the film's debut weekend.
Amazon's Strategic Response and International Performance
Amazon MGM distribution chief Kevin Wilson addressed the disappointing figures with a prepared statement emphasising the documentary's broader distribution strategy. "Melania's strong theatrical performance is a critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy, building awareness, engagement and provides momentum ahead of the film's eventual debut on Prime Video," Wilson explained.
The streaming release date for Melania on Amazon's Prime Video platform remains unannounced. The film represents a substantial investment for the studio, having been acquired for $40 million following a competitive bidding war, with an additional $35 million allocated to marketing efforts worldwide.
Internationally, the documentary has demonstrated similarly modest performance across approximately 3,000 overseas screens, though comprehensive statistics remain difficult to obtain. Notable international markets include:
- The United Kingdom, where the film debuted at number twenty-nine in the box office charts with £32,974 in earnings
- Australia, which showed moderate interest
- Slovenia, Melania Trump's native country
South African distribution was unexpectedly cancelled at the last minute, though specific reasons for this decision have not been disclosed.
Critical Panning Versus Record-Breaking Audience Scores
The documentary has faced almost universal criticism from professional reviewers, with The Guardian's Xan Brooks describing it as "a gilded trash remake of The Zone of Interest" and "two hours of pure, endless hell." The film currently maintains a dismal 8% aggregate critics' score on reviews curation site Rotten Tomatoes.
In stark contrast, audience reception has been overwhelmingly positive according to Rotten Tomatoes metrics. The documentary has achieved a remarkable 99% score on the platform's "Popcornmeter" system, creating a record-breaking disparity between professional critics' assessments and audience ratings.
One enthusiastic viewer praised "the best documentary I've seen in years. The cinematography was superb, the soundtrack was excellent, and Melania herself was spectacular, a great movie which should receive numerous awards."
Verification Controversy and Review Disparities
Rotten Tomatoes' parent company Versant has firmly rejected speculation that the exceptional audience scores resulted from fabricated reviews. A spokesperson told Variety that "there has been NO manipulation on the audience reviews for the Melania documentary" and emphasised that "reviews displayed on the Popcornmeter are VERIFIED reviews, meaning that it has been verified that users have bought a ticket to the film through Fandango."
However, significant discrepancies exist between the verified reviews and the broader "all audience reviews" section that doesn't contribute to the official rating. The verified reviews section, which generates the 99% score, contains overwhelmingly positive assessments, frequently from first-time posters whose initial review on the platform is for Melania.
These reviews often include enthusiastic endorsements urging "every red blooded American to see this movie to recognise the grace, sophistication and power of Flotius [sic]" and praising the documentary's avoidance of nudity and profanity.
Conversely, the "all audience reviews" section features more critical perspectives typically from users with established engagement histories on Rotten Tomatoes. These assessments include comments such as "I thought it would have been based on her actual life, good and bad. There was no emotion, drama or depth. It's just a bad reality show" and the more blunt "Hot garbage. Don't waste your time or money."
The dramatic box office decline, coupled with the extraordinary divergence between critical reception and audience ratings, highlights the complex reception of this controversial documentary as it transitions from theatrical exhibition to its eventual streaming destination on Amazon's Prime Video platform.
