Melania, director Brett Ratner’s documentary on First Lady Melania Trump, is still in theaters nearly a month after its release. How much has the film earned in ticket sales so far?
Rated PG, Melania opened in theaters on Jan. 30. The official synopsis for the movie reads, “Melania offers unprecedented access to the 20 days leading up to the 2025 Presidential Inauguration — through the eyes of the First Lady herself.
“Step inside Melania Trump’s world as she orchestrates inauguration plans, navigates the complexities of the White House transition, and moves her family back to the Nation’s Capital. With exclusive footage capturing critical meetings, private conversations, and never-before-seen environments, Melania showcases Mrs. Trump’s return to one of the world’s most powerful roles.”
Defying low projections, Melania earned $7.1 million from 1,778 North American theaters in its first Friday to Sunday frame for a No. 3. The film expanded to 2,003 venues in its second weekend but dropped 67% in domestic ticket sales and earned $2.3 million for a No. 10 finish.
From there, the film plunged another 62% in domestic ticket sales in its third weekend frame Feb. 13 to Feb. 15 with $893,000 in receipts from 1,204 theaters for a No. 15 finish and fell another 76% with $212,000 in ticket sales from 505 venues from Feb. 20 to Feb. 22.
Through Tuesday, Melania has earned $16.2 million domestically, according to The Numbers. Along with $187,000 in international ticket sales, Melania to date has earned $16.3 million.
How Much Did ‘Melania’ Cost To Make And Market?
Figuring out the exact amount of money to make Melania is tricky, considering the $40 million cost reported by Variety for the Amazon MGM Studios’ film’s budget also includes an upcoming Prime Video docuseries.
Additionally, Variety reported, Amazon MGM Studios spent $35 million to market Melania. Whether part of that marketing budget is reserved for the upcoming docuseries is not clear.
No matter how the numbers are distributed, it appears that Melania — the theatrical documentary — has a lot of ground to make up if it ever wants to become profitable. With most theatrical releases, generally 50% of ticket sales go to theater owners, which unsing that formula means the film has earned roughly $8 million so far.
Melania is currently playing in 505 theaters nationwide.
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