First Lady Melania Trump’s documentary “Melania” has crashed at the box office, plummeting to 15th place in its third weekend with a devastating 62.3-percent drop in attendance, according to data from IMDbPro.
The 104-minute documentary earned roughly $900,000 across more than 1,200 theaters during Valentine’s Day weekend, bringing its total box office haul to approximately $15.6 million—nowhere near the $40 million Jeff Bezos’ Amazon spent to acquire it, plus an additional $35 million to promote it.
The film, directed by Brett Ratner and chronicling the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, opened at number three in the box office charts in late January. After earning roughly $7 million in its opening weekend, the documentary suffered a 67-percent drop-off in its second week before this weekend’s even steeper decline.
Despite the dismal theatrical performance, Amazon MGM distribution chief Kevin Wilson defended the release strategy. “Together, theatrical and streaming represent two distinct value-creating moments that amplify the film’s overall impact,” Wilson said in a statement.
Critics have savaged the documentary since its premiere at the Kennedy Center. The film holds an 11 percent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers competing to deliver the harshest assessment.
The Guardian initially gave “Melania” a one-star review before issuing a correction—downgrading it to zero stars due to a “formatting issue.” Critic Xan Brooks compared the film to “designer taxidermy, horribly overpriced and ice-cold to the touch.” The New Yorker’s Lauren Collins likened it to “an OnlyFans account crossed with that meme of Kim Jong Un visiting factories.”
Deadline’s Pete Hammond wrote that he watched “Melania” so viewers wouldn’t have to, describing it as punishingly tedious. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman called it “so orchestrated and airbrushed and stage-managed that it barely rises to the level of a shameless infomercial.”
Amazon MGM executives hope to recoup their losses when the documentary streams on Prime Video later in 2026, though no release date has been announced. The studio plans to recover costs through advertising revenue and Prime signups, according to sources.
The 55-year-old first lady has actively promoted the film, even during official White House duties. She plugged the documentary during a February meeting with freed American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel and his wife Aviva, prompting questions about the appropriateness of hawking a commercial venture from which she stands to earn approximately $28 million.
On Presidents’ Day, Melania Trump posted promotional materials to her personal social media accounts, urging her followers not to “miss your chance to see MELANIA in theaters before its run ends.”
The promotional push drew harsh criticism from followers, with comments ranging from “this movie was awful” to more creative comparisons of watching the film to painful dental procedures.
Adding to the controversy, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation alleged that commanding officers pressured active-duty U.S. service members to purchase tickets and attend screenings. “They were pressured to see the movie. Your military superior, that’s not your shift manager at Taco Bell or Starbucks. They have complete and total control over you,” said Mikey Weinstein, MRFF founder and president.
The Department of Defense denied these allegations, stating: “There is no Department of War directive requiring service members to see this film, though the film is fantastic.”
The first lady has promised additional content for fans. At the Kennedy Center premiere, she teased a forthcoming docuseries with footage not included in the theatrical release.
The documentary’s failure has drawn additional scrutiny to Amazon founder Bezos, whose Washington Post recently laid off roughly one-third of its newsroom staff. Critics have questioned the $75 million investment in a vanity project for the first lady while cutting hundreds of jobs at the storied newspaper.
Ratner, who directed the film, has faced his own controversies, including allegations of sexual misconduct and ties to Jeffrey Epstein. “Melania” marks his first film since Hollywood ostracized him following 2017 allegations.
The documentary now faces stiff competition from new releases including “Wuthering Heights,” starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, which earned an estimated $34.8 million over the same three-day period. Independent releases like the video game adaptation “Iron Lung” have also outperformed “Melania” at the box office.
As the theatrical run winds down, Amazon MGM remains confident the film will find its audience on streaming platforms, where the studio controls distribution and can leverage its massive subscriber base to claim success regardless of actual viewership numbers.
