“Melania,” a new and controversial documentary centered on first lady Melania Trump, delivered an unexpectedly strong box-office start, opening to an estimated $7 million over the weekend, according to figures released Sunday, Feb. 1, by Amazon MGM Studios.
The film is directed by Brett Ratner, who has largely been absent from major Hollywood projects since 2017 after denying sexual harassment allegations. Heading into release, “Melania” was tracking for a $3 million to $5 million opening. The documentary is framed around the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s second inauguration in 2025, told from his wife’s perspective. Final weekend totals are expected Feb. 2.
Anything above $1 million is “a huge number,” said Jeff Bock, senior media analyst for Exhibitor Relations, in an interview with USA TODAY the week before the release. “That would mean that a lot of folks who don’t normally go to the movies went to this,” he said.
The opening was strong enough to land “Melania” third domestically for the weekend. It trailed two horror-leaning newcomers — survival comedy/thriller Send Help ($20 million) and indie scare title Iron Lung ($17.9 million) — but finished ahead of Zootopia 2 ($5.8 million), now in its ninth weekend, and new Jason Statham action release Shelter ($5.5 million).
Critics were harsh: on Rotten Tomatoes, the film sits at 11% on the Tomatometer. Audience response, however, has been dramatically different — a 99% Popcornmeter score — and the documentary also earned an A grade in CinemaScore surveys.
“We’re very encouraged by the strong start and positive audience response, with early box office for ‘Melania’ exceeding our expectation,” said Kevin Wilson, the studio’s head of domestic theatrical distribution, in a statement.
The release has been promoted more like a major event than a typical documentary. Melania Trump hosted a private screening at the White House about a week ago, and on Jan. 29 she attended the premiere at the Trump Kennedy Center in Washington. Attendees included rapper Nicki Minaj, media personality Dr. Phil, and cabinet members Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy Jr..
Despite the strong start, profitability is another question. Jeff Bezos’s studio division paid $40 million for the documentary and a companion docuseries, and reportedly spent about $35 million more on marketing. Both are expected to stream on Prime Video later this year, with costs partially offset through advertising and new subscriber sign-ups.
