Melania, the documentary about first lady Melania Trump, exceeded expectations with an estimated $7 million in U.S. ticket sales in its opening weekend. Audience data from Amazon MGM Studios showed viewers were predominantly white (75%), female (70%) and age 55 or older (72%). Top U.S. markets included Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta and West Palm Beach.
Amazon purchased U.S. rights in early 2025 for about $40 million and spent roughly $35 million on marketing, making the film one of the more expensive documentaries to reach theaters. Melania is credited as an executive producer. The film opened on more than 1,500 U.S. screens — atypically wide for a documentary — and photos circulating before the global release showed many theaters with unsold seats for some showings.
Critics largely panned the film after its Kennedy Center premiere, where protesters dressed as Marie Antoinette demonstrated outside. On social platforms some users urged audiences to instead watch Becoming, Michelle Obama’s 2020 Netflix documentary, which reappeared in Netflix’s U.S. top-10 movies that weekend.
Industry analysts had forecast about $5 million in opening-weekend ticket sales, so the roughly $7 million result was seen as a solid start for the documentary genre. For context, the weekend’s top-grossing film was the horror survival thriller Send Help, at about $20 million, followed by Iron Lung at nearly $18 million.
David A. Gross, writing in his industry newsletter FranchiseRe, called the opening “an excellent opening for a political documentary,” noting the haul is more than double the genre’s average. Gross told NPR that the audience profile “matches with the Trump fan base,” and that moviegoers gave the film an A CinemaScore, suggesting they view Melania positively as a public figure.
Gross and others have warned that with total costs reported near $75 million, limited international appeal could be a financial challenge for a typical theatrical release. Amazon, however, described the results as exceeding expectations. Kevin Wilson, head of domestic theatrical distribution for Amazon MGM Studios, called the opening the first step in a “long-tail lifecycle” for the film and for an announced accompanying docuseries, with further runs planned on Amazon’s platform.
The documentary follows Melania during the 20 days leading up to President Trump’s January 2025 inauguration. It includes behind-the-scenes scenes such as preparation for a candle-lit inaugural dinner (during which cameras briefly pass Jeff Bezos), the design process for her inaugural outfits, and her grieving after the death of her mother, Amalija Knavs. At a New York Stock Exchange appearance, Melania described the film as “a window into an important period for America.”
Editor’s note: Amazon is among NPR’s recent financial supporters and pays to distribute some NPR content.
