The documentary film about Melania Trump, the wife of former President Donald Trump, has generated considerable buzz in the media; however, it struggled to make a significant impact at the UK box office during its initial weekend, debuting at a disappointing 29th place.
Directed by Brett Ratner, the film managed to garner only £32,974 from 155 different cinemas, which translates to an average of £212.80 per screen. This figure pales in comparison to the reported $75 million (£54.6 million) that Amazon invested in its distribution and promotional efforts. Despite the less-than-stellar performance, it wasn’t as catastrophic as some had anticipated.
Before it premiered, Tim Richards, CEO of Vue, described ticket sales in the UK as "soft." On the film's opening day, many screenings were poorly attended, with some venues experiencing entirely empty audiences over the weekend. Interestingly, certain locations, like Vue Islington, saw full houses, primarily packed with journalists eager to catch a glimpse of the film after Amazon opted against offering any previews beforehand.
In fact, The Independent attended a screening at Vue Westfield in Stratford that was nearly vacant, featuring only four attendees, two of whom were reporters.
Contrastingly, in the US, the film did manage to surpass initial expectations on its first day, raking in $2.9 million (£2.1 million) across 1,778 cinemas, but it still fell short of success overall, ultimately being overshadowed by the independent horror film Iron Lung, created by YouTuber Mark Fischbach.
Inspired by a popular horror video game released in 2022, Iron Lung was produced on a budget of $3 million (£2.1 million) and has since grossed an impressive $21 million (£15.3 million), making it seven times its production costs. In the UK, Iron Lung climbed to the fourth spot at the box office, earning £948,731 and outperforming the week’s major release, Jason Statham's action flick Shelter, which made £946,903.
Claiming the number one position for the week is Chloé Zhao's Oscar-nominated drama Hamnet, which earned £1.4 million, raising its cumulative total to £14.8 million.
The documentary "Melania" chronicles the 20 days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration, which is set for January 2025.
Since its release, the critical reception has been largely unfavorable, with the film currently holding a mere 10 percent rating on review platforms. Interestingly, however, audience scores reflect a much more favorable view, sitting at an astounding 99 percent, suggesting a significant base of support for Trump among viewers.
In a scathing one-star review for The Independent, critic Nick Hilton remarked, "Perhaps Melania is merely a piece of post-modern post-entertainment. After all, it is transparently not a documentary." He goes on to explain that much of the film features Melania portraying a staged version of herself, with scenes meticulously crafted much like Ratner's previous work on X-Men: The Last Stand. He concludes that the film resides in a realm that straddles the line between reality television and outright fiction.
