"Melania" Documentary Scores Big Opening Weekend in North America... Who Went to See It?

Popular Among Rural Audiences, Women, and Older Viewers
Critics Respond with Harsh Reviews

Reports have emerged that the documentary film "Melania," featuring Melania Trump, wife of U.S. President Donald Trump, has exceeded box office expectations in North America immediately after its release.

On the 29th of last month (local time), Melania Trump posed at the special screening of the documentary "Melania" held at the Trump-Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Photo by Getty Images, Yonhap News Agency

According to The New York Times on January 31 (local time), ticket sales for "Melania" during its opening weekend are expected to reach approximately 8.1 million dollars (about 11.8 billion won) in the United States and Canada. This marks the highest opening weekend for a documentary film, excluding concert films, in 14 years. Previously, the outlet had projected opening weekend ticket sales at 5 million dollars, predicting that the film's performance would help the First Lady "save face."

Nearly 46% of the opening weekend revenue is expected to come from rural theaters, a significantly higher proportion than usual for film releases. In terms of political affiliation, 53% of the opening weekend revenue is predicted to come from Republican-leaning regions. The main box office markets were Florida, Texas, and Arizona. Women accounted for 72% of the audience, with the majority being middle-aged and older viewers aged 55 and above.

Movie poster for "Melania" displayed at a New York subway station. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency

The previous day, senior officials from the Trump administration, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr., attended the screening event held at the Trump-Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

The film documents Melania Trump's 20-day schedule in January of last year, just before President Trump's second inauguration.

Melania Trump is expected to earn substantial profits from this film. She was directly involved in directing and producing the documentary, and MGM Studios, a subsidiary of Amazon, made a large-scale investment. To produce the film, MGM Studios signed a licensing agreement worth approximately 40 million dollars (about 5.81 billion won) with Mark Beckman, Melania Trump's external advisor and the film's producer. The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 70% of the contract amount, or about 4 billion won, will go to Melania Trump.