First Lady Melania Trump’s documentary, funded by Amazon, made a grand entrance into the public eye last month under the title “Melania: 20 Days to History.” The production reportedly carried a hefty price tag of $75 million (£54.6 million), with high hopes from its creators for a successful run at the box office.
However, in the UK, the documentary faced challenges. Opening weekend data revealed a meager £32,974 earnings from 155 theaters, a mere 0.06% of its production expenses.
The film, directed by Brett Ratner, raked in an average of £212.80 per screen, landing it in the 29th spot on the UK box office rankings. This lackluster performance occurred despite initial buzz surrounding the documentary’s focus on Melania leading up to Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration.
Even in the US, where it premiered with $2.9 million (£2.1 million) from 1,778 cinemas, the film fell short of expectations, even losing out to an independently funded horror flick called “Iron Lung.”
Although the documentary slightly surpassed modest predictions, starting at an expected $5 million (£3.7 million) opening weekend and climbing to around $7 million (£5.1 million), it is generally regarded as a commercial letdown.
Critics have largely criticized the film, and audience turnout has been limited. Nevertheless, Melania and Donald Trump have both publicly expressed positive sentiments. Melania referred to it as “loved by all,” while Donald Trump hailed it as a “tremendous success” from the Oval Office’s Resolute Desk.
He exclaimed, “It’s the number one documentary in 19 years — can you believe this?” Despite the uncertainty about the specific statistic Trump cited, The Guardian noted that the film achieved one of the strongest recent documentary box-office openings.
The disappointing box office results come amidst renewed attention on the dynamics between Melania and Donald. Despite varying public perceptions, a psychotherapist and confidence specialist suggested that many assumptions about Melania might be misjudged.
In an interview with Mirror US, Shelly Dar highlighted Melania’s adeptness at maintaining clear personal boundaries in the public sphere. Dar explained that Melania’s controlled and neutral public presence conveys boundaries rather than emotions, a departure from the typical Western world expectation of displaying emotions for comfort.
