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‘Melania’ Documentary Opens to $7 Million as Amazon’s $75 Million Bet Faces Long Road

The $7 million debut falls well short of the roughly $40–45 million domestic revenue analysts say is needed to break even.

Overview

  • The film finished third at the domestic box office with about $7 million from roughly 1,778 theaters, topping pre-release forecasts that ranged from $2 million to $5 million.
  • Audiences rated the film an A in CinemaScore exit polls, while critics were overwhelmingly negative, with Rotten Tomatoes scores reported around 6–11%.
  • Ticket buyers skewed older and female and were concentrated in Republican-leaning markets such as Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix and West Palm Beach.
  • Amazon MGM executives highlighted a long-term monetization plan that centers on Prime Video availability, licensing deals and a planned docuseries tie-in.
  • The rollout has been complicated by renewed scrutiny of director Brett Ratner and weak overseas traction, including poor attendance and reviews in Slovenia.