The documentary “Melania” has dropped entirely from box office charts after only four weeks in theaters, signaling a dramatic collapse for Amazon MGM Studios’ controversial $75 million bet on First Lady Melania Trump.
The 104-minute film is no longer listed among the top 38 domestic releases according to IMDb’s box office rankings, effectively closing out its theatrical presence with $16.3 million in domestic revenue—far below Amazon’s $40 million purchase price and $35 million promotional budget.
After debuting at No. 3 with a $7.1 million opening on January 30 — the strongest launch for a non-concert documentary in over ten years — the film documenting Melania Trump’s final 20 days before returning to the White House fell 67% in its second weekend. By week three it had plunged to No. 15, and soon afterward vanished from major markets altogether.
The studio stopped releasing box office data on Saturday, February 21, and the film has been pulled from theaters in New York and Los Angeles. A WIRED review of 1,398 showings across 329 U.S. theaters found only two screenings that sold out — one in Florida and one in Missouri.
Amazon MGM reportedly cut 600 theaters after 700 had already dropped the film the week prior. On Thursday, the final day of wide release, it earned just $70,000, averaging $59 per theater — suggesting many showings played to nearly empty rooms.
Despite the dramatic decline, Kevin Wilson, Amazon MGM’s head of domestic theatrical distribution, struck an upbeat tone. “Melania’s strong theatrical performance is a critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy, building awareness, engagement and provides momentum ahead of the film’s eventual debut on Prime Video,” he said.
The film, directed by Brett Ratner, has been contentious since it was first announced. Ratner faced sexual misconduct accusations from six women in November 2017, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, during the height of the #MeToo movement. He denied all allegations and faced no criminal charges. Warner Bros. later cut ties with him, making this his first significant project since. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos met with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in December 2024, shortly before Amazon purchased the documentary rights.
The documentary premiered in 1,778 theaters across North America before expanding to 2,003 screens in its second weekend. By February 25, it had contracted to 505 theaters. Top-performing regions included Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta, and West Palm Beach. Its audience skewed heavily female (72%), white (75%), and over age 55 (72%), with rural theaters accounting for 46% of domestic grosses — well above the usual 30%.
The White House hosted a private black-tie screening on January 24 ahead of the film’s Kennedy Center premiere in Washington. The event drew major tech leaders, including Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, and AMD CEO Lisa Su, along with Queen Rania of Jordan, motivational figure Tony Robbins, and former boxer Mike Tyson. Afterward, First Lady Melania Trump shared on X: “I am deeply humbled to have been surrounded by an inspiring room of friends, family, and cultural iconoclasts at the White House last night.”
Critics harshly criticized the film, giving it an 11% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes from 53 reviews. The Guardian’s Xan Brooks said it “plays like a gilded trash remake of ‘The Zone of Interest’” and called it “pure, endless ****.” Rotten Tomatoes’ summary states: “Presented with great pomp and circumstance but little insight, this documentary purports to be an up-close view of the First Lady while curiously revealing very little about her.”
Audiences, however, reacted very differently. The film achieved a 98% verified audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and received an “A” grade from CinemaScore — marking the widest critic–audience divide in Rotten Tomatoes history. Parent company Versant denied any manipulation, emphasizing that all audience reviews came from verified Fandango ticket buyers.
Worldwide, the film fared even worse, earning only $291,552. In the U.K., it debuted at No. 29 with £32,974 from 155 cinemas, averaging £212 per screen. Its second weekend collapsed by 88% to £4,091. In Mexico City, 15 of 27 screenings across eight theaters sold zero tickets, averaging just 2.9 viewers per show. South African distributor Filmfinity canceled its release entirely.
Amazon’s unconventional release approach has fueled debate about whether theatrical runs now function mainly as costly promotional tools for streaming platforms. Film industry analyst David A. Gross noted that while the debut was “excellent” by political documentary standards, “for any other film, with $75 million in costs and limited foreign potential, it would be a problem.” Amazon’s $75 million total investment, according to multiple reports, far exceeds typical documentary budgets — for example, RBG (2018) reportedly spent only $3 million on marketing.
The significant spending has led to speculation about Amazon’s intentions. Disney allegedly offered $14 million to $15 million for streaming rights alone — meaning Amazon outbid competitors by roughly $25 million. Reports citing the Wall Street Journal say First Lady Melania Trump personally received about $28 million of the $40 million acquisition fee.
The documentary will now transition to Prime Video, where Amazon MGM hopes it will resonate more with viewers. A streaming release date has not yet been announced, but a follow-up docuseries is in development under the original acquisition agreement. Whether streaming success can offset the substantial investment is unclear — though for Amazon, the world’s largest e-commerce company, $75 million may be a relatively minor price for strengthening ties with the Trump administration.
