Promoted by Donald Trump as "A must-see"The documentary about Melania Trump, which was criticized before its release by detractors of the American president, Melania, started with $7 million in ticket sales, a very good score for a documentary that exceeded all expectations.
The most expensive documentary in history
Amazon MGM Studios paid $40 million for the rights and spent $35 million on promotion, making this the most expensive documentary ever made. Directed by Brett Ratner, who has been living outside Hollywood since 2017, Melania was shown in 1,778 theaters.
While a conventional film with such costs would have been a failure, Melania It performed well according to documentary standards. It had the best opening weekend in 14 years for a non-concert documentary, with initial estimates ranging from $3 million to $5 million.
A first for a presidential documentary
Presidential families typically avoid releasing documentaries during their term. The film follows Melania Trump for 20 days last January, leading up to Trump's second inauguration.
Harsh criticism, but a captivated audience.
Trump's detractors were harsh on this documentary. Xan Brooks (The Guardian) compared the film to a "A medieval tribute to appease the greedy king"Owen Gleiberman (Variety) described it as "Cheesy advertising of astonishing inertia", and Frank Scheck (Hollywood Reporter) opined: "To say that 'Melania' is a hagiography would be an insult to hagiographies."
Despite these criticisms, which are not necessarily objective, the public is won over! Melania It received a CinemaScore of "A". The audience was predominantly female (72%), aged 55 and over (72%), and white (75%). The Southern United States, particularly Florida and Texas, was the most popular region.
Note that the film will be available on Prime Video after its theatrical release.
