In a stunning display of box office resilience, the documentary "Melania" shattered expectations with its impressive opening weekend performance, leaving many in the Hollywood press stunned. The film, which chronicles 20 days in Melania Trump's life before President Donald Trump's second term in office, has broken records for its genre, earning the highest opening weekend for a documentary in over a decade.
Despite initial predictions that put the film at just $5 million, "Melania" pulled in an astonishing $7 million in domestic ticket sales. The film's success was particularly surprising given the lukewarm reception it received from critics, who many saw as a form of "propaganda" for the Trump administration. However, verified audience users on Rotten Tomatoes praised the film, giving it a whopping 99% approval rating.
The film's impressive opening weekend has been hailed as a "face-saving result" for Melania Trump by some outlets, suggesting that her fans came out in force to support the documentary. While Amazon MGM Studios reportedly spent $40 million on production and another $35 million on marketing, executives expressed confidence in the long-term value of the film, which they plan to license out and distribute on their Prime Video streaming service.
In a statement to Variety, Kevin Wilson, head of domestic theatrical distribution at Amazon MGM, said, "We're very encouraged by the strong start and positive audience response... This momentum is an important first step in what we see as a long-tail lifecycle for both the film and the forthcoming docu-series."
As the dust settles on "Melania"'s surprise opening weekend success, one thing is clear: this documentary has become a major player in the box office, proving that even the most unlikely of films can find an audience.
Despite initial predictions that put the film at just $5 million, "Melania" pulled in an astonishing $7 million in domestic ticket sales. The film's success was particularly surprising given the lukewarm reception it received from critics, who many saw as a form of "propaganda" for the Trump administration. However, verified audience users on Rotten Tomatoes praised the film, giving it a whopping 99% approval rating.
The film's impressive opening weekend has been hailed as a "face-saving result" for Melania Trump by some outlets, suggesting that her fans came out in force to support the documentary. While Amazon MGM Studios reportedly spent $40 million on production and another $35 million on marketing, executives expressed confidence in the long-term value of the film, which they plan to license out and distribute on their Prime Video streaming service.
In a statement to Variety, Kevin Wilson, head of domestic theatrical distribution at Amazon MGM, said, "We're very encouraged by the strong start and positive audience response... This momentum is an important first step in what we see as a long-tail lifecycle for both the film and the forthcoming docu-series."
As the dust settles on "Melania"'s surprise opening weekend success, one thing is clear: this documentary has become a major player in the box office, proving that even the most unlikely of films can find an audience.
. I know critics were harsh on it and some people thought it was just going to flop, but I guess you can't judge a book by its covers (or in this case, a documentary about Melania Trump's life). It's actually kinda cool that fans of hers showed up in force to support the film. I mean, who would've thought, right? 
The fact that it broke records for a doco and got such an 99% approval rating from audience users on Rotten Tomatoes is just wild 
. Maybe this means we should be giving Trump's wife more of a chance in the public eye... or maybe I'm just drinking the Kool-Aid 
. Either way, it's been fun to watch and I'll be keeping an eye on how this docu-series plays out! 
. people are always talking about how fake news they think Trump is, but when it comes to his wife, they wanna know what's really going on behind closed doors 
. and honestly, if you're gonna make a documentary about Melania, you gotta give the people some insight into her world, even if it is just 20 days of her life 
. critics hated it maybe 'cause they didn't want to admit that Trump's wife can be interesting too 
. now I know some people might say "what about the controversy?" but let's be real, folks are curious creatures 
and if a film is gonna get $7 million in ticket sales, it must be doing something right 
. Critics hated it, but audiences seem to have enjoyed the guilty pleasure aspect 
. A 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes? Yeah right, I bet there were some fake thumbs up from her supporters 
I'm genuinely shocked by this! 20 days in Melania's life, and people were still tuning in to watch it? Not gonna lie, I was low-key skeptical at first too 
. And can we talk about how underrated documentaries are? People always say dramas or action movies get more love, but this flick is proof that there's still magic in the documentary genre 
. I'm all for it being licensed out on Prime Video too - let people enjoy it from the comfort of their own homes 
! The fact that it raked in $7 million on opening weekend is just insane 
. I think what's crazy is that the critics were so divided about it, but the audience is totally loving it 
. 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes? That's some serious mojo right there 
. And can we talk about how this film has become a box office smash despite all the hate it got before release? 
. Anyway, I'm intrigued to see what's next for this doco - a TV series? 
And I love how they use stats and figures to break down the box office numbers, it's like a mini spreadsheet 
But what really caught my eye was the contrast between the negative reviews from critics and the positive audience response on Rotten Tomatoes. It just goes to show that sometimes, even when something gets panned by the "experts", it can still find an audience and be a success in its own right 
. I mean, it's not every day you see a docu about Melania Trump getting such a warm reception from the public. Kudos to Amazon MGM for taking a risk on this one! 
. I mean, who saw it coming? Not me, anyway 
. You gotta give props to whoever made this happen - $7 million opening weekend is huge for a doco. And I love how Amazon MGM is playing it cool about the marketing spend 
! 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes? 
That's insane! Who knew her fans would come out in force to support the film? 
. I'm not surprised it broke records for a doco, but $7 million opening weekend? 
. This is like that movie "The Social Network" where they had to try again and again before it finally caught on... I guess this is what we call a successful rebrand?