Melania Trump documentary, slammed by movie critics, gets biggest opening in 10 years | Box office collection

Amazon’s documentary Melania opened with a strong $7 million ( ₹64 crore) at the domestic box office. It marked the biggest opening for a non-music documentary in more than 10 years.

This result stands out because documentaries rarely drive large ticket sales. Most releases in the past decade opened below $5 million and usually earned between $10 and $20 million ( ₹184 crore) worldwide, according to Comscore data.

Women and viewers aged 55 and over accounted for more than 70% of ticket sales, leading to more than 70% of earnings. Rural cinemas contributed 46% of total collections, well above their usual 30% share, according to CNBC.

These theatres serve towns with populations under 5 lakh. Data from EntTelligence estimates around 6 lakh people watched the film over the weekend.

Films linked to popular music stars often perform better due to loyal fan bases. In comparison, the record for political documentaries remains with Fahrenheit 9/11.

Michael Moore’s controversial film debuted with $23.9 million ( ₹220 crore) in 2004 and went on to earn $119 million ( ₹1,094 crore) domestically overall.

Melania, produced by Amazon MGM Studios, was released in theatres on 30 January. The documentary follows First Lady Melania Trump over the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration.

Amazon reportedly paid $40 million ( ₹368 crore) for distribution rights and a follow-up docuseries. That makes the 104-minute film the most expensive documentary acquisition to date. The marketing costs are estimated at another $35 million.

The film was directed by Brett Ratner, marking his return after the 2017 misconduct allegations. Melania Trump acted as executive producer and retained editorial control.

While it made a notable box-office collection, the reception has been sharply divided. Critics were largely negative, giving it a 10% score on Rotten Tomatoes and calling it “propaganda”.

Donald Clarke of The Irish Times wrote, “No good impression emerges of the former Slovenian model. No bad impression emerges either.”

William Bibbiani of TheWrap commented, “I have no idea why she was okay with this movie being released, because Brett Ratner couldn't find the humanity in a funeral. Literally.”

“It's fascinating to see so pure and naked an instrument of graft and propaganda deployed to great effect on an audience happy to lap it up,” came from The Bulwark’s Sonny Bunch.

Audiences, however, reacted positively. It has received a 99% audience score and an A grade from CinemaScore.

“We’re very encouraged by the strong start and positive audience response, with early box office for ‘Melania’ exceeding our expectations,” CNBC quoted Kevin Wilson, head of domestic theatrical distribution at Amazon MGM Studios, as saying.

“This momentum is an important first step in what we see as a long-tail lifecycle for both the film and the forthcoming docu-series, extending well beyond the theatrical window and into what we believe will be a significant run for both on our service,” Wilson added.

According to US President Donald Trump, however, it is a ‘must-watch’.

Melania Trump documentary: How to watch in India

At present, viewers in India have limited choices for watching the documentary. Melania was released worldwide across more than 5,000 screens, with the main focus on around 1,500 cinemas in the United States.

Since it is mostly not available in theatres, the safest option will be streaming. The documentary is expected to arrive on Amazon Prime Video India 3-4 weeks after its cinema release.

It will probably have its OTT release in late February. Amazon will also release a three-part companion docuseries on Prime Video later in 2026.