Melania” Documentary Underperforms at UK & Ireland Box Office
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A new documentary profiling former first Lady Melania Trump generated just £32,974 in its opening weekend across the UK and ireland, significantly trailing other releases and facing harsh critical reception.
The Amazon MGM Studios film, focusing on the 20 days leading up to a potential return to the White House in January 2025, opened in 155 cinemas, averaging £213 per site. According to data released by the British Film Institute (BFI), this placed the film at 29th in the rankings for releases between January 30th and February 1st.
box Office Disappointment
The film’s performance was notably weaker than a re-release of The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King, which earned £215,804 across 169 cinemas, securing the 14th position. The top-performing film of the weekend was Hamnet, a past drama starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, grossing £1.41 million – approximately 42 times the revenue of the Melania documentary. hamnet has now accumulated £14.84 million in the UK and Ireland over its four weeks in theaters.
Critical Scrutiny
The documentary has been largely panned by critics. The Guardian awarded it zero stars, while The Telegraph characterized it as a “branding exercise” akin to “North Korea-style propaganda with a dash of Ralph Lauren.” The New York Times described the film as “a very circumscribed and carefully stage-managed chronicle” of the period preceding a potential second inauguration for Mr. Trump.
The film follows the 55-year-old former model as she prepares to potentially resume her role as First Lady, documenting her family’s transition back to washington D.C. Box office data is compiled by comscore and publicly released by the BFI.
Why did this happen? The documentary, titled Melania, released by Amazon MGM Studios, aimed to provide an inside look at the former First Lady’s life as she contemplates a potential return to the White House. Who was involved? The film focuses on Melania Trump and her family, and was authorized by her team. Critics from publications like The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The New York Times have offered scathing reviews. What was the outcome? The film opened to a dismal £32,974 across 155 cinemas in the UK and Ireland, ranking 29th in the box office charts for its opening weekend. It significantly underperformed compared to other releases, including a re-release of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and the original release of Hamnet. How did it end? The film’s poor performance and overwhelmingly negative critical reception raise serious doubts about its long-term success and influence, suggesting limited public interest in an authorized portrayal of Melania Trump.
