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(Bloomberg) — Melania, a documentary about the first lady and the days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration, took in a stronger-than-expected $7 million at US and Canadian theaters in its opening weekend, according to Comscore Inc.
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The film, which is distributed by Amazon.com Inc.’s MGM Studios, was expected to generate $1 million to $2 million in opening weekend ticket sales, according to estimates from industry tracker Boxoffice Pro. NRG, another forecaster, was predicting $5 million.
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The movie focuses on Melania Trump during the 20 days before Donald Trump’s return to the presidency last year. It was released in 1,778 theaters in the US and Canada and in 27 territories. It scored just an 11% approval rating from professional critics and 99% from regular viewers, according to RottenTomatoes.com.
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Amazon’s purchase of the film generated headlines early last year over the $40 million that the e-commerce giant paid for the rights. The company spent an additional $35 million on marketing. The Hollywood Reporter called it the most expensive documentary in history.
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Amazon and the White House hosted a Jan. 29 premiere at the Kennedy Center, the Washington venue that a Trump-appointed board recently rechristened with the president’s name. The first lady also rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
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Los Angeles’ public transit division repositioned some buses with Melania advertisements to reduce the risk of vandalism after several billboards were defaced.
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Melania faces the same obstacles as all documentaries in the streaming era, when many viewers opt to skip theatrical releases for nonfiction movies altogether. The debut coincides with a second-term low for President Trump’s approval ratings and with the killings of two US citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis leading to a national outcry.
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Melania was directed by Brett Ratner, the creative force behind action films such as Rush Hour and Red Dragon. The picture is Ratner’s first since several women accused him of sexual misconduct in 2017. He has denied the allegations.
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The film competed with two thrillers opening this weekend, Send Help, starring Rachel McAdams, and Shelter, featuring Jason Statham, along with a sci-fi feature, Iron Lung, with YouTube influencer Mark Fischbach.
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