Only one ticket has been sold for the premiere of the authorised documentary about Melania Trump at Vue’s flagship London branch, as insiders question the launch strategy. The film, released by Amazon in more than 100 UK cinemas, faces competition from an eclectic slate including Jason Statham’s Shelter and Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague.
Tim Richards, chief executive of Vue, described UK ticket sales as “soft”. Just one ticket was sold for the first screening at its Islington branch, with two booked for the 6pm showing. All seats remained available for 28 screenings at Blackburn, Castleford and Hamilton branches. At Cineworld in Wandsworth, four tickets were sold, while five backrow seats were booked in Broughton.
Richards said he had received many emails criticising Vue’s decision to screen the film. “I have told everyone that, regardless of how we feel about the movie, if it is BBFC approved we look at them and 99% of the time we will show it,” he said. “We do not play judge and jury to censor movies.”
One industry analyst suggested the underlying strategy might be “four-walling”, where distributors pay a set fee to cinemas to screen a title. This would explain why many exhibitors agreed to take on a movie with modest financial prospects. Amazon MGM Studios bought the rights for $40m (£30m) and is spending $35m on global marketing, mostly in the US.
The film documents the 20 days before Donald Trump’s return to power in January 2025. It was screened at the White House on Saturday and will premiere at Washington’s Kennedy Center on Thursday, before release in 27 countries. Boxoffice Pro estimated a US opening weekend of $1m-$2m, while the National Research Group estimated $5m.
UK projections are harder to call. Prime Minister, a documentary about Jacinda Ardern, took £33,000 on its first weekend across 28 screens in December 2025. Becoming Victoria Wood opened on 23 screens earlier this month, making £21,000 on its opening weekend. Donald Trump posted on social media that the film is “a MUST WATCH” and tickets are “selling out, FAST!”
