Melania, Brett Ratner's authorised documentary about Melania Trump, has seen a 67% decline in its second weekend at the US box office, despite expanding to over 2,000 screens. After a stronger-than-expected opening of $7.2m, the film fell from third to tenth place, with Sunday projections of just $2.3m.
Amazon MGM, which paid $40m for the film and spent an additional $35m on marketing, defended the performance. Distribution chief Kevin Wilson said the theatrical release builds awareness ahead of the film's debut on Prime Video. The documentary was released in 26 countries, though a South African screening was cancelled at the last minute.
Internationally, the film has underperformed. In the UK, it opened at number 29 with £32,974 in ticket sales, averaging £212 per screen. Other top territories include Australia and Melania Trump's native Slovenia.
Critics have panned the documentary, with the Guardian's Xan Brooks calling it 'a gilded trash remake of The Zone of Interest' and 'two hours of pure, endless hell'. However, audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes are starkly different, with a 99% 'Popcornmeter' rating versus an 8% critics' score, creating a record gap.
Rotten Tomatoes' parent company Versant denied allegations of fake reviews, stating that Popcornmeter scores are verified through ticket purchases via Fandango. However, many positive reviews come from first-time posters, while negative reviews in the 'all audience' section come from more established users, describing the film as 'hot garbage' and 'a bad reality show'.
