Melania, the first lady’s new documentary, exceeded box-office expectations in its opening weekend, earning about $7 million in the U.S. Audiences skewed heavily white (75%), female (70%) and older (72% aged 55 or older). Top markets included Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta and West Palm Beach, according to Amazon MGM Studios data.
Amazon paid roughly $40 million for U.S. rights to the film in early 2025 and backed an expansive release and promotion. The studio reportedly spent about $35 million on marketing, making Melania one of the most expensive documentaries ever produced; the first lady is listed as an executive producer. The sizable price and publicity push prompted speculation about whether the campaign was intended to curry political favor.
Critics have been largely negative. The film premiered at the Kennedy Center amid protests, including demonstrators dressed as Marie Antoinette. On social platforms, many users urged viewers to skip Melania and instead watch Becoming, Michelle Obama’s 2020 Netflix documentary, which briefly climbed Netflix’s U.S. popularity charts over the weekend.
Documentaries seldom open wide in theaters, but Melania played on more than 1,500 U.S. screens. Ahead of its global release, social media posts showed many theaters with large numbers of unsold seats for screenings, though analysts had forecast a modest debut of about $5 million — making the $7 million result a relative success for the genre.
For context, the weekend’s top box-office earner was the horror thriller Send Help with about $20 million, followed by Iron Lung at nearly $18 million.
Industry tracker David A. Gross, writing in his FranchiseRe newsletter, called the result “an excellent opening for a political documentary,” noting it was more than double the genre’s average. Gross told NPR the audience profile lined up with the Trump base and that CinemaScore polling returned a glowing “A” from viewers. He added that while the opening is strong for a documentary, a $75 million total cost (the reported $40 million rights fee plus about $35 million in marketing) and limited overseas potential would be problematic for a typical feature.
Amazon, however, says it views the theatrical launch as only the start. Kevin Wilson, head of domestic theatrical distribution for Amazon MGM Studios, said the numbers beat expectations and that a docuseries companion is in development. He described the plan as a long-tail lifecycle that extends beyond theaters into a significant streaming run.
The film itself focuses on roughly 20 days leading up to President Trump’s January 2025 inauguration. It documents preparations for a candle-lit inaugural dinner — during which the camera briefly captures Jeff Bezos several times — the design work on inaugural outfits and moments of private grief after the death of Melania’s mother, Amalija Knavs. At a recent appearance on the New York Stock Exchange, the first lady described the documentary as “a window into an important period for America.”
Editor’s note: Amazon is among NPR’s recent financial supporters and pays to distribute some NPR content.