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“Melania,” the documentary detailing the 20 days in the first lady’s life before President Donald Trump’s second term in office, shocked the Hollywood press with its surprise opening weekend.
Reports indicated that “Melania” posted the best opening weekend for a documentary in over a decade, in stark contrast to its low critic score.
“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,” The Hollywood Reporter reported Saturday.
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The “Melania” documentary earned the highest box office opening for a documentary in over a decade. (Melania Trump)
It continued, “[E]xhibitors weren’t so convinced, based on sluggish ticket sales and an endless stream of social posts showing auditoriums where only a smattering of tickets had been sold (it’s hard to remember a non-concert doc that’s been so scrutinized in terms of its opening number).”
Other entertainment outlets also expressed surprise at the box office performance of the “Melania” documentary.
“‘Melania: Twenty Days to History’ is proving the haters and losers wrong. The Brett Ratner-directed documentary chronicling three weeks in the life of the incoming first lady has over-performed expectations,” Rolling Stone magazine reported on Sunday.
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Hollywood press outlets were largely shocked at the box office numbers for “Melania.” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Variety reported that the film was “eclipsing box office expectations,” while Deadline claimed “Melania” had “crushed it exactly where she was suppose to” in red areas despite concerns about a “great deal of juicing” at the box office.
The New York Times called the numbers a “face-saving result for the first lady” after initial predictions placed the film at only $5 million, though it contextualized the sizeable opening.
“On Saturday, analysts projected roughly $8 million in domestic ticket sales for the nearly two-hour film. The actual amount, $7 million, suggests that opening day was front loaded with Mrs. Trump’s fans,” the New York Times wrote.
Digital reached out to Amazon MGM Studios for a comment.
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Reports also found that Amazon MGM Studios spent $40 million on the documentary with another $35 million spent on marketing. However, the studio reportedly intends to recoup these costs through licensing deals as well as upcoming plans to add the film to its Prime Video streaming service.
Amazon was reportedly pleased with the opening weekend numbers for the “Melania” documentary despite its high costs. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
“We’re very encouraged by the strong start and positive audience response, with early box office for ‘Melania’ exceeding our expectations,” Amazon MGM’s head of domestic theatrical distribution, Kevin Wilson said in a statement to Variety. “This momentum is an important first step in what we see as a long-tail lifecycle for both the film and the forthcoming docu-series, extending well beyond the theatrical window and into what we believe will be a significant run for both on our service. We are confident in the long-term value this rollout will deliver to customers both in theaters, and for years to come on Prime Video.”
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The “Melania” documentary was also widely panned by entertainment critics as a form of “propaganda” for the Trump administration. By contrast, verified audience users on the Rotten Tomatoes website largely praised the film, giving it a 99% approval rating.
