Donald Trump’s Wife Melania’s Documentary Heads For Poor UK Opening: Report

The countdown to Melania hitting theatres has begun, but early signs from the UK box office aren’t exactly encouraging. The documentary based on the life of Donald Trump’s wife is set to release on January 30, 2026, and advance ticket sales suggest a muted opening across British cinemas.

According to a report by The Guardian, the film is slated to screen in more than 100 cinemas across the United Kingdom. However, initial bookings have been notably slow. Tim Richards, chief executive of Vue, one of the UK’s largest cinema chains, revealed that at the company’s main Islington theatre in London, only one ticket had been sold for the 3:10 pm show on Friday, while just two tickets were booked for the 6 pm screening.

Richards also spoke to The Telegraph

about the backlash Vue has received for programming the documentary. He said the cinema chain has been flooded with emails questioning the decision to screen the film. Addressing the criticism, Richards said, “I have told everyone that, regardless of how we feel about the movie, if it is BBFC [British Board of Film Classification] approved, we look at them, and 99% of the time we will show it. We do not play judge and jury to censor movies.”

At the UK box office, Melania is also facing stiff competition. The documentary will be releasing alongside Jason Statham’s action film Shelter, horror title Primate, Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On?, and Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague.

The film itself focuses on Melania Trump’s life during a crucial political moment. Melania documents a 20-day period leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. As per the documentary’s Wikipedia page, the film has been produced by Amazon with a reported budget of $40 million, while Melania Trump is said to have received $28 million for the project. The runtime of the documentary is listed as 104 minutes.

While the UK response appears subdued so far, the global picture remains to be seen. Reports suggest that Melania is scheduled to release in around 3,300 theatres worldwide, making its performance in the US and other international markets closely watched over the coming days.