First lady’s film ‘Melania’ racks up biggest opening for a documentary in a decade

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“Melania” opened to the best box office numbers for a documentary in a decade after premiering Thursday in close to 1,800 screens nationwide.

The documentary on the First Lady, directed by Brett Ratner, debuted to $7 million, surpassing recent hits like 2024’s “Am I Racist?” which opened to $5.4 million, Deadline reported.

Melania Trump’s documentary “Melania” debuted to $7 million on its opening weekend. Amazon MGM Studios

The Amazon MGM Studios’ $75 million production is on track to be the best-performing non-fiction feature for 10 years, as Melania Trump wrote on X.

“MELANIA, the film. #1 Highest Opening In 10 Yrs (Doc) Loved By All – “A” CinemaScore,” she wrote, also reposting a message of congratulations from Elon Musk.

The documentary is a $75 million Amazon MGM Studios production. AP

Older women made up the majority of the audience, with 72% of the opening-day tickets going to females aged over 55.

Amazon spent an estimated $35 million on global marketing for the movie, which makes it the most expensive documentary in history.

First Lady Melania Trump attends Amazon MGM’s “Melania” World Premiere at The Trump Kennedy Center on January 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. Getty Images

That advertising featured a big ad on the Las Vegas sphere timed for the one-year anniversary of the inauguration on Jan. 20.

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