‘Melania,’ the documentary that follows U.S. First Lady Melania Trump during the 20 days leading up to her husband Donald Trump’s return to the country’s presidency in 2025, has exceeded expectations, grossing $7.04 million in its theatrical debut, according to ‘Variety’ magazine.
Projections for its release this weekend in 1,778 U.S. theaters (3,300 worldwide) were for $2 million to $5 million.
Melania Trump Documentary Sweeps the Box Office
Amazon MGM acquired the documentary for $40 million and has deployed an ambitious advertising campaign to promote the film, valued at about $35 million.
Theater owners keep about half of the ticket sales, which will make it difficult to justify the cost of showing them, notes the entertainment magazine.
It notes, citing sources familiar with the economics of similar films, that the film will need to generate between $40 million and $45 million at the domestic box office to break even.
They believe that ‘Melania’ has secured lucrative licensing deals that will offset the high promotional costs.
Amazon plans to recoup some of its expenses when ‘Melania’ hits its Prime streaming service after its theatrical release.
“We are very encouraged by the solid start and positive audience response, with initial box office grosses exceeding our expectations,” said Kevin Wilson, Amazon MGM’s director of domestic theatrical distribution.
The viewing audience was 72% female and 83% were over the age of 45, the magazine further noted, citing Amazon MGM.
Nearly 75% of the audience was white, followed by Hispanics, with 11% attending the premiere.
However, the theaters where it was screened were not in major cities such as New York or Los Angeles, but in places where President Trump is popular such as Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix and West Palm Beach.
Trump, who accompanied his wife to the film’s premiere last Thursday, posted on his Truth Social page the news of the takings.
Filed under: Documentary Melania Trump box office
With information from EFE
