Melania Documentary Surprises With $8 Million Opening In US, Struggles To Sell Tickets In UK

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new documentary Melania has surprised box office pundits by opening with $8 million in the US on Friday, January 30. The expectations for the documentary on the First Lady, directed by Brett Ratner, were low after reports emerged that the film was underperforming or experiencing low ticket sales around the world. In South Africa, the documentary was pulled from theatres. But, in the US, Melania managed to stay in third place at the box office behind the horror film Send Help and the indie feature Iron Lung. However, the documentary, which is the most expensive in history, faces an uphill battle trying to recoup its expenses so far. Here’s why.

Melania has better than expected opening in North America

The documentary had its domestic premiere in Washington DC and President Donald Trump was present for the screening at the Kennedy Center. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Brett Ratner film is expected to open with $8 million or more at the North American box office. The film was written off before its debut, also due to the director, Brett Ratner, who was accused in the MeToo movement a few years ago. It is reported that two-third of the crew didn’t want their names attached to the film. Ratner is planning to use the documentary Melania as a comeback into Hollywood. While he hasn’t directed a film since 2014, he is one of the names being considered to direct Rush Hour 4.

Lacklustre response in rest of the world

Apart from Melania being taken down in South Africa, the documentary is struggling in the UK. A representative of one of the UK theatre chains, Vue, shared that ticket sales in the country were “soft.” Earlier in the week, it was reported that only one ticket was sold at the Vue’s London branch for its premiere. The documentary was released worldwide in more than 3,000 cinemas on Friday in 20 overseas markets. On Rotten Tomatoes, only 7 per cent of the reviews are positive.

Most expensive documentary in history

Amazon MGM Studios bought the documentary for $40 million with worldwide licensing rights. That’s not all, it has also spent an additional $35 million on a global marketing campaign. Around $15 million was spent in the US, while $10 million was set aside for the rest of the world. The Wall Street Journal reported that the First Lady's payment was 70 per cent of the $40 million, which comes to around $28 million.

The documentary is expected to run in theatres for around two weekends or around 10 days, and Amazon MGM Studios is reportedly planning to launch the film on its streaming platform on Valentine’s Day and President’s Day weekend next month.