‘Melania’ Surges Toward Box Office Surprise With a New Projected Opening in North America

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Melania Trump’s new documentary is surprisingly successful at the box office. Despite predictions of a flop, the film is actually doing much better than anyone anticipated.

Initial box office numbers suggest the movie Melania will earn approximately $8.1 million in North America upon its release. This is a better result than expected, especially considering earlier forecasts were pessimistic and advance ticket sales were slow.

A new documentary premiered in Washington, D.C., with President Donald Trump and his supporters present. The film offers a look at Melania Trump during the weeks before her husband’s second inauguration, and was directed by Brett Ratner. This project represents Ratner’s return to directing after a period of absence from the film industry.

Amazon MGM Studios heavily invested in the film, spending a record-breaking $40 million to acquire the global rights. They also reportedly spent an additional $35 million on worldwide marketing, with almost $15 million of that dedicated to promotion within the U.S.

MELANIA, the film, exclusively in theaters worldwide on January 30th, 2026.

— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) December 17, 2025

Initially, the movie Melania was predicted to open with around $3 million or less. Some theater owners were concerned it might not even reach $2 million due to weak ticket sales early in the week and photos circulating online of mostly empty cinemas. However, by Friday afternoon, the studio revised its estimates upwards, now projecting an opening weekend between $8 million and $9 million.

If current trends continue, Melania is predicted to come in third place at the box office, surpassing Jason Statham’s new movie, Shelter. It’s expected to finish behind only Send Help and Iron Lung, which are both recently released and competing for first place.

Experts believe the film’s recent success is due to high viewership in more conservative areas and significant promotion by Donald Trump. Despite negative reviews and low scores from critics, Amazon seems to be looking at the long term. Reports suggest the documentary will be available on Prime Video within a few weeks, likely around Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day.

I’m really excited about the movies coming out this weekend – it’s going to be a close race! Everyone’s talking about Sam Raimi’s Send Help, with Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien, and it’s predicted to open with around $18 million and great reviews. But Iron Lung, the horror film from YouTube creator Mark Fischbach, is right on its heels, potentially earning over $17 million. It’s amazing to see a self-distributed film do so well – it could be a huge success story!

Even with all the talk about how much it cost and the issues surrounding it, Melania has surprisingly done better than many predicted. It’s still unclear if people will continue to be interested after the initial excitement, considering the mixed reviews and expensive price.

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2026-01-31 21:14