Reviews are landing for Melania, First Lady Melania Trump’s self-titled documentary — and they’re showing a stark gap between professional critics and the moviegoing public.
The film, released in theaters Jan. 30, sat at 8% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes as of Friday afternoon, edging up from an earlier 6%.
Verified audience members told a very different story. The documentary held a 99% positive score from verified Rotten Tomatoes users — though that drops sharply to 29% when unverified ratings are included.
Rotten Tomatoes says the divide represents the largest critics-versus-audience gap the platform has recorded.
Amid online speculation about how such a split could happen, a Rotten Tomatoes spokesperson said the site found no bot manipulation behind the audience score, adding that the Popcornmeter reflects verified ticket purchases. The spokesperson also emphasized that verified reviews appear only after it’s confirmed a user bought a ticket.
Strong opening weekend — but an expensive bet
The documentary also posted notable opening-weekend numbers following a rare global theatrical rollout. From Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, it earned $7.04 million in its first three days, which Deadline reported as the biggest opening for a non-fiction film in the past decade. The prior benchmark, according to the outlet, was 2023’s After Death, which debuted at $5 million.
Even so, those early box office returns represent only a portion of the investment behind the release. The film was reportedly acquired for $40 million, with an additional $35 million marketing push.
Brett Ratner’s return
Melania also marks the return of filmmaker Brett Ratner to a major release. Ratner was accused by six women — including actress Olivia Munn — of sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement. He has denied the allegations, and no criminal charges were filed.
A window into inauguration-week buildup
The documentary offers glimpses of the weeks leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, framed through the perspective of the then first lady–elect.
A streaming ripple effect for another first lady documentary
During Melania’s opening weekend, another first lady documentary saw a sudden surge in interest: Michelle Obama’s May 2020 film Becoming.
Between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, Becoming drew 47.5 million minutes watched on Netflix — up from 354,000 minutes the prior weekend — representing a spike of 13,300% in viewership.
Titled after Obama’s best-selling 2018 memoir, Netflix describes Becoming as a “rare and up-close look at her life,” including behind-the-scenes moments from her 34-city book tour.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Becoming holds 93% with critics and 78% with audiences.
