7.16 Million Dollar "Earnings Surprise" in Opening Weekend
Supporters Rally Despite Scathing Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 5% vs. 99%
Critics mocked it as a "North Korean-style propaganda piece," but supporters answered by opening their wallets. The documentary "Melania," which focuses on U.S. President Donald Trump's wife, Melania Trump, has posted box-office results far exceeding expectations. It is a strange phenomenon in which only his supporters are enthusiastic despite scathing reviews from critics, starkly revealing the deepening polarization of American society, where communication has broken down and everything is driven to extremes.
According to tallies by Bloomberg and others, "Melania" opened last weekend in 1,778 theaters across North America and took in 7.16 million dollars (about 10.4 billion won) in ticket sales. This is an "earnings surprise" up to seven times higher than the 1 to 2 million dollars initially projected by market analysis firms such as Box Office Pro. It is an exceptional achievement for a documentary, and is interpreted as the result of the "Trump fandom" turning its characteristic response to external criticism - tightening internal solidarity as the attacks grow fiercer - into cultural consumption.
The film sheds light on the 20 days of Melania Trump's activities leading up to President Trump's second inauguration early last year. Amazon poured an astronomical production budget into the project, spending 40 million dollars to secure the distribution rights and 35 million dollars on marketing. It is the highest amount ever for a documentary. U.S. entertainment outlet Variety commented that "Amazon's gamble paid off," while also analyzing that "the success of this film is less about its artistic merit and more about the victory of a solid political fandom and the 'culture war.'"
In contrast to its commercial success, the evaluations are sharply divided. On the film review site Rotten Tomatoes, the critics' Tomatometer score is a mere 5%, while the audience score (the Popcorn score) reaches 99%. Trade papers such as The Hollywood Reporter have panned it as "uncritical, North Korean-style propaganda," but supporters applauded in theaters and chanted slogans calling for a third term for Trump. This phenomenon has been particularly pronounced in Republican strongholds known as "red states" and in non-urban areas.
The film's box-office performance is seen as all the more peculiar against the backdrop of recent political turbulence. The Trump administration has been hit by a fierce backlash after an immigration enforcement officer was shot and killed by a civilian in Minnesota. Anti-Trump sentiment has spread, and approval ratings for his second term have plunged to their lowest level. The film's success under these circumstances suggests that the rift between supporters and opponents has widened to the point where it may be impossible to bridge. In Los Angeles (LA), movie advertisements have been vandalized so frequently that authorities were even forced to reshuffle the routes of advertising buses.
Controversy surrounding the film beyond its content is also intense. Director Brett Ratner, who made his name with the "Rush Hour" series, was effectively driven out of Hollywood after being accused as a sexual predator during the Me Too movement. Deadline pointed out the irony, saying that "the very fact that a director brought down by a sex scandal is making his comeback with a film about a polarizing political figure encapsulates Hollywood's contradictions."
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