Melania Documentary Struggles Overseas, Makes Just £200 Per Cinema on UK Opening Weekend
London, UK — The documentary Melania, chronicling the days leading up to First Lady Melania Trump’s return to the White House, recorded a notably underwhelming start in the United Kingdom and Ireland this past weekend, with box office figures averaging roughly £200 per cinema.
Released wide across 155 cinemas, the film took in just £32,974 at the UK and Ireland box office from January 30 to February 1, according to data from the British Film Institute (BFI). That works out to about £212.80 (approximately US $270) per screen — a modest haul for a high‑profile documentary with global publicity behind it.
Sparse Attendance Despite Widely Covered Release
Melania — directed by Brett Ratner and distributed by Amazon MGM Studios — follows the first lady during the pivotal 20 days before her husband’s 2025 presidential inauguration. The film’s theatrical release was accompanied by extensive promotional efforts and public interest due to its political subject matter and the fact that former President Donald Trump and Melania herself appeared at the world premiere.
Despite that visibility, attendance in the UK was lukewarm at best. The documentary placed 29th at the weekend box office, marking an overall performance significantly below other top releases. By comparison, the Shakespeare adaptation Hamnet led the charts with about £1.41 million, roughly 42 times higher than Melania’s takings.
Industry observers noted that even with a wide release, many screenings lacked substantial audience turnout. The average per‑screen figure underscores how limited interest was among UK and Irish moviegoers — a sharp contrast to the film’s moderate success in North America.
Contrasting Reception in the United States
In the United States and Canada, Melania fared considerably better on its opening weekend, grossing around $7 million and ranking third at the domestic box office — the strongest opening for a non‑music documentary in more than a decade.
That performance reflected a different audience dynamic: strong openings in several U.S. regions and demographic segments helped buoy overall revenue. Still, even stateside figures have attracted scrutiny, with some analysts characterizing portions of the initial box office as driven by organized ticket‑buying and early promotional pushes.
Critics Question Documentary Value
Critical response to Melania has been mixed at best, with some reviewers dismissing the film as more of a promotional profile than a deeply investigative documentary. In the UK and Ireland, outlets described the film as a carefully curated narrative rather than a penetrating exploration of its subject, contributing to subdued word‑of‑mouth.
The film’s rollout overseas highlights the challenges of translating political celebrity interest into international commercial success — even with significant backing from a major studio and a polarizing global figure at its center.
