Melania is having trouble staying on the field at the Super Bowl weekend box office, where it fell off a steep 67 percent, leading to a likely 10th-place finish with $2.4 million.
Amazon MGM Studios put out a statement Saturday stressing that the first lady’s documentary, directed by Brett Ratner, is already a win for cinemas after opening to a better-than-expected $7.2 million a week ago, the biggest launch in a decade for a doc (that excludes concert pics and nature films from Disney). And Amazon, along with analysts, believe it could score a touchdown in terms of viewership on Prime Video.
“Melania’s strong theatrical performance is a critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy, building awareness, engagement and provides momentum ahead of the film’s eventual debut on Prime Video,” Amazon MGM distribution chief Kevin Wilson said in Saturday’s note. Melania Trump’s film – a behind-the-scenes chronicle of the 20 days before the second inauguration of her husband, President Donald Trump, in 2025 – has sparked a barrage of headlines after being billed the most expensive doc ever made. In truth, no one knows the actual budget, since Amazon only paid for the license. Melania Trump reportedly pocketed $28 million, while Ratner certainly took a fee. Marc Beckman, the first lady’s longtime manager and producing partner, is another pivotal figure in the marking of Melania.
In a deal spanning the globe, Amazon MGM beat out other studios in plunking down $40 million in January 2025 for both theatrical and streaming rights to Melania and material for a docuseries. Team Melania was insistent on a proper, exclusive theatrical component, according to sources. Other bidders were only interested in the streaming rights, including Disney, which offered $14 million to $15 million. Amazon MGM spent another $35 million on the global marketing campaign. While the domestic portion was certainly more, the overseas push could have easily been $10 million to $15 million. So far, no international grosses have been reported by the studio, a sign that it isn’t doing much business in the 20-plus countries where it’s playing. At the same time, Prime Video has a huge footprint overseas. As far as North America, the filmmakers and Amazon MGM were so enthusiastic after last weekend’s opening that they added 200 theaters heading into Super Bowl weekend. Through Friday, the film’s domestic total stood at $11.8 million after placing ninth for the day with $865,000.