Here’s a shocking truth: despite the media frenzy surrounding Melania, the documentary about former First Lady Melania Trump, the film failed to crack the UK’s top 25 box office rankings in its opening weekend, landing at a disappointing No. 29. But here’s where it gets controversial—while the film’s earnings of £32,974 across 155 cinemas might seem like a flop, especially compared to Amazon’s reported $75 million (£54.6 million) investment, it didn’t crash and burn as catastrophically as some predicted. So, was it a total disaster, or just a misstep in a crowded market? Let’s dive in.
Directed by Brett Ratner, the film averaged just £212.80 per screen, a far cry from its massive budget. Ahead of its premiere, Vue CEO Tim Richards described UK ticket sales as ‘soft,’ and this prediction proved accurate. Many screenings across the UK were sparsely attended, with some theaters playing to nearly empty rooms. And this is the part most people miss—while most venues struggled, certain screenings, like those at Vue Islington, were packed, primarily with journalists eager to dissect the film’s portrayal of the enigmatic First Lady.
The rush to see the film on its opening day was partly fueled by Amazon’s decision not to preview it, leaving reporters scrambling for seats. The Independent attended a near-empty screening at Vue Westfield in Stratford, where just four audience members were present—two of whom were journalists. This raises a thought-provoking question: Was the film’s poor turnout a reflection of public disinterest, or did Amazon’s strategy backfire by limiting pre-release buzz?
In the US, the film performed slightly better, grossing $2.9 million (£2.1 million) on its opening day across 1,778 cinemas. Yet, it still fell short of expectations and was outshone by Iron Lung, an independently financed horror film made by YouTuber Mark Fischbach. Here’s the twist—Iron Lung, inspired by the 2022 horror game by David Szymanski, was produced for just $3 million (£2.1 million) but has raked in $21 million (£15.3 million) to date, proving that sometimes, smaller projects can pack a bigger punch. In the UK, Iron Lung climbed to No. 4 at the box office, surpassing even the week’s big release, Jason Statham’s Shelter.
Meanwhile, the week’s No. 1 film was Chloé Zhao’s Oscar-nominated Hamnet, which earned £1.4 million, bringing its total to £14.8 million. Melania, on the other hand, follows the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, a period of intense political scrutiny. Since its release, the film has received largely negative reviews, sitting at a mere 10% on review platforms. However, viewers have given it a 99% score, seemingly as a show of support for Trump. Is this a case of art imitating politics, or politics influencing art?
In a scathing one-star review for The Independent, Nick Hilton questioned the film’s authenticity, calling it ‘post-modern post-entertainment’ and criticizing its staged portrayal of Melania. ‘This is somewhere between reality TV and pure fiction,’ Hilton wrote, highlighting the blurred lines between documentary and dramatization. But here’s the real question—does Melania fail because of its subject matter, its execution, or the public’s fatigue with Trump-era narratives? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—do you think this film deserved a better fate, or was it doomed from the start?
