Summary (tl;dr)

A new documentary titled "Melania," chronicling Melania Trump's life leading up to the 2025 presidential inauguration, has premiered to highly polarizing reviews, with critics largely panning the film as propaganda while audiences report overwhelmingly positive reception. Despite a significant investment from Amazon MGM Studios, the film's box office performance has been underwhelming, prompting questions about its commercial viability and underlying motives.

Essential Background

"Melania" is a 2026 American documentary film directed and co-produced by Brett Ratner, notable as his first major film since facing multiple sexual assault allegations in 2017. The documentary provides an inside look at Melania Trump's activities during the 20 days preceding her husband Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration in 2025. Melania Trump herself served as a producer and maintained editorial control over the project. Amazon MGM Studios acquired the global distribution rights for the film and a follow-up docuseries for an reported $40 million, alongside a $35 million marketing budget, outbidding other studios like Netflix, Disney, and Paramount Pictures.

The Full Story

Released on January 30, 2026, the "Melania" documentary debuted with a global theatrical rollout across 27 countries, following a premiere at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Critical reception has been overwhelmingly negative, with the film scoring as low as 6-7% on Rotten Tomatoes and 6 out of 100 on Metacritic, often being dismissed as a "pro-Donald Trump propaganda film" or "shameless infomercial". In stark contrast, audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes are exceptionally high, reaching 98-99%, although some observers question the authenticity of these user ratings.

Commercially, the film's box office performance has been soft. While initially projected to gross $5 million to $8 million in its opening weekend across 1,500 theaters in the United States and Canada, it earned only $2.9 million on its first day. Reports indicate low ticket sales in major cities like Boston and New York, where screenings were sparsely attended, often predominantly by journalists. However, some "ultra-conservative hubs" such as Plano, Texas, and Melania Trump's native Slovenia reported sold-out screenings. Several Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar, have banned the film due to local censorship laws.

Why It Matters

The significant financial outlay by Amazon MGM Studios for "Melania," coupled with its poor critical reception and modest box office numbers, has fueled speculation regarding the studio's motivations beyond purely commercial success, with some suggesting political considerations during a potential second Trump administration. The vast discrepancy between critical and audience scores has ignited debate about the film's true public reception and the potential for politically motivated audience review manipulation. Furthermore, the documentary marks a controversial return for director Brett Ratner, drawing renewed attention to past allegations against him.

Geographic Location

• Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, United States (official film premiere)
• The White House, Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, United States (exclusive first viewing)
• Palm Beach County, Florida, United States (filming location)
• Plano, Collin County, Texas, United States (reports of sold-out screenings)
• Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States (reports of low ticket sales)
• New York City, New York County, New York, United States (reports of sparse audiences)
• Slovenia (reports of sold-out screenings)
• United Kingdom (reports of soft ticket sales)
• Saudi Arabia (film banned)
• United Arab Emirates (film banned)
• Kuwait (film banned)
• Qatar (film banned/restricted)