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Melania Documentary Opens Worldwide With Weak Reviews and Soft Early Sales

Early reviews are poor, raising questions about Amazon’s $75 million bet.

Overview

  • Amazon MGM licensed the film for about $40 million and spent roughly $35 million on marketing, an unusually large outlay for a documentary.
  • Theatrical rollout spans more than 1,500 U.S. screens and several thousand globally, with South Africa’s major chains pulling the film citing the current climate.
  • Critics have been largely negative, with a reported 9% score on Rotten Tomatoes and trade outlets describing the movie as glossy promotion.
  • Early turnout appears light, with reports of sparsely attended showings in multiple cities and isolated screenings selling only a handful of tickets.
  • The project’s optics continue to draw scrutiny as Melania Trump served as executive producer with reported editorial control, Brett Ratner directed, and Amazon says a Prime Video release will follow in the coming weeks.