First Lady Melania Trump’s new documentary film has posted a strong box office debut, defying weeks of dismissive coverage and negative predictions from corporate media critics.
In the lead-up to its release, left-wing journalists repeatedly mocked “Melania,” declaring the Amazon-backed documentary a guaranteed flop and a public embarrassment for the first lady.
Early reviews were harsh, and several outlets predicted a box office failure.
Those predictions have not held up.
According to The New York Times, Melania is now projected to be the best-performing documentary opening in the past 14 years, excluding concert films.
The Times reported:
“Amazon’s gold-plated rollout for Melania Trump’s documentary is likely to result in opening-weekend ticket sales of roughly $8.1 million in the United States and Canada, box office analysts projected on Saturday.”
That performance would give Melania the strongest documentary debut in 14 years.
Despite acknowledging the success, the Times attempted to reframe the outcome negatively, writing:
“It would be a face-saving result for the first lady — just a few days ago, ticket sales were pacing at about $5 million — but not for Amazon, which spent an exorbitant $75 million to buy distribution rights to ‘Melania’ and market its release.”
The outlet added:
“Theater owners keep roughly 50 percent of ticket sales, meaning that Amazon would end the weekend with about $4 million to show for its investment.”
Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter reported that “Melania” ranked as the third best-performing film overall of the weekend, outperforming expectations and edging out higher-profile releases.
“If that sunny forecast holds, the film will come in No. 3 behind fellow newcomers ‘Send Help’ and ‘Iron Lung’ after icing out Jason Statham’s new action pic, ‘Shelter,’” the outlet reported.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that early skepticism was widespread:
“No one saw that coming, with many suggesting Melania was a bomb before it even opened based on empty, or nearly empty, seat maps in cinemas across the country.”
MELANIA, the film.
#1 Highest Opening In 10 Yrs (Doc)
Loved By All – “A” CinemaScore pic.twitter.com/HTVM0Cu2Jv— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) January 31, 2026
Audience data showed a clear demographic trend, with the film drawing strong support from conservative viewers.
“The pic is galvanizing conservatives in the South and South-central part of the country, and specifically older females over the age of 55, who made up 72 percent of the opening-day audience,” the report stated.
“And a stunning 78 percent of all ticket buyers were 55 and older.”
The documentary, titled Melania, centers on the period leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration and details the first lady’s role in preparing for the historic event.
After its limited theatrical run and international rollout, the film is set to be distributed exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
Our comment section is restricted to members of the Slay News community only.
To join, create a free account HERE.
If you are already a member, log in HERE.