Melania Trump rings New York Stock Exchange bell ahead of her movie release—watch
Melania Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate her documentary, Melania, which depicts her life leading up to President Trump's second inauguration. The film launches globally on 30 January.
First Lady Melania Trump kicked off trading on Wednesday by ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to mark the upcoming release of her documentary. The film, titled Melania, follows her life during the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
“The NYSE welcomes Melania Trump, First Lady of the United States, to celebrate @AmazonMGMStudio ’s launch of her new film MELANIA, opening in theaters globally this Friday, January 30th,” NYSE said on X.
“Films bring families and friends together, sitting side-by-side, sharing the collective moment. In doing do they will not simply watch my film, they will participate in a great American tradition and become part of our nation's history,” USA Today quoted Melania Trump as saying.
Know about the film Melania
Melania is helmed by Brett Ratner, known for action films like Rush Hour and Red Dragon. This is Ratner’s first project since many women accused him of sexual misconduct in 2017, allegations he has refuted.
The film is described as an intimate look at the relationship between the 55-year-old first lady and her husband. In a scene from the trailer, Melania Trump picks up the phone, addresses her husband as “Mr. President", and mentions that she missed a recent appearance of his but will “see it on the news".
The studio is spending an additional $35 million on marketing. Melania is set to open on roughly 1,500 screens across 27 territories, Bloomberg reported, citing a source familiar with the plans. The e-commerce giant has promoted the film through TV commercials and billboards from Madrid to Los Angeles. The documentary will face competition from two thrillers, Send Help, starring Rachel McAdams, and Shelter, featuring Jason Statham, as well as the sci-fi film Iron Lung, starring YouTube influencer Mark Fischbach.
The film, acquired by Amazon’s MGM Studios for $40 million last year, drew early headlines for its high purchase price. Like many documentaries in the streaming era, it faces challenges as audiences often skip theatrical releases for nonfiction films, the agency report noted.
How much could the film Melania earn?
Early projections suggest Melania could perform well by typical documentary standards, similar to Roadrunner, the 2021 documentary about the late chef Anthony Bourdain, which earned $1.98 million in its opening weekend, a strong showing for a nonfiction film at the time.
Market researcher Boxoffice.com estimates that Melania could earn between $1 million and $2 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend. Tickets remain widely available for the 30 January debut and the following days. Another forecaster, NRG, predicts around $5 million, news site Puck stated.
Meanwhile, the first couple is planning a premiere of Melania on 29 January at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Washington venue recently renamed after the president by a Trump-appointed board. An after-party is reportedly scheduled to follow at the members-only club Executive Branch.