A documentary about Melania Trump has been withdrawn from South African cinemas days before its global release, with the distributor citing 'political reasons'. The film, titled Melania, was scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on Friday in nearly 30 countries, but South Africa will no longer be among them.
Filmfinity, the South African distributor, made the last-minute decision on Wednesday to cancel the theatrical run. Thobashan Govindarajulu, the company's head of sales and marketing, told The New York Times the move was 'based on recent developments' but declined to elaborate. He insisted it was 'our decision' and that the company was not pressured or asked to remove the film.
The removal comes amid strained relations between the US and South Africa, following President Donald Trump's imposition of tariffs and his promotion of debunked claims that white South Africans are being 'slaughtered'. Mark Sardi, chief executive of Ster-Kinekor, one of South Africa's major cinema chains, said he did not know why the film was pulled, adding: 'Our basic position would be we're not in the business of censorship.'
Directed by Brett Ratner, who has faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, the documentary follows Melania Trump over 20 days before her husband's inauguration. The film has struggled with poor ticket sales; Tim Richards, CEO of UK chain Vue, described sales as 'soft'. According to The Guardian, only one ticket had been sold for the first afternoon screening at Vue's Islington branch in London.
Some crew members have reportedly asked for their names to be removed from the credits. One told Rolling Stone: 'Unfortunately, if it does flop, I would really feel great about it.' Others described the set as chaotic, with long hours and no meal breaks, and criticised Ratner's behaviour. 'Brett Ratner was the worst part of working on this project,' a production team member said.
