The authorised documentary about Melania Trump, directed by Brett Ratner, has sparked controversy after achieving a record-breaking discrepancy between its critics' and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes. The film, which chronicles the 20 days before Donald Trump's January 2025 inauguration, has received an 8% critics' rating but a 99% audience score on the site's 'Popcornmeter'.
Rotten Tomatoes' parent company Versant has denied allegations of vote manipulation, stating that the audience reviews are verified through ticket purchases via Fandango. However, an analysis of the reviews reveals that the overwhelming majority of positive comments come from first-time posters, for whom this is their debut review. In contrast, the 'all audience reviews' section, which does not count towards the official rating, features more critical assessments from users with longer histories on the site.
The film's box office performance has also been mixed. After a stronger-than-expected opening weekend, it dropped 67% in its second week, falling from third to tenth place in the US charts. Despite an expanded release to over 2,000 screens, Sunday projections stood at just $2.3 million. International figures are hard to come by, but the film has performed poorly overseas, including in the UK where it opened at number 29 with a screen average of £212.
Amazon, which paid $75 million for the rights and marketing, has defended the film's performance, highlighting its strong start and potential for streaming success. Distributor Kevin Wilson said the theatrical release built awareness ahead of the film's debut on Prime Video. Critics have been near-unanimous in their disdain, with the Guardian's Xan Brooks calling it 'two hours of pure, endless hell'.
