After a better-than-expected opening weekend in theaters, the box office for Amazon’s “Melania” fell sixty-seven percent in its second weekend. The film earned an estimated $2.37 million, bringing its total gross to $13.5 million so far. Almost all of that revenue has come from the United States.
Given that Amazon spent $40 million to acquire the documentary and an additional $35 million on marketing, it is now extremely unlikely the film will break even in theaters. Before its release, a former Amazon film executive questioned how the high price tag could be motivated by anything other than currying favor with the Trump administration or an outright bribe.
Moviegoing typically slows during Super Bowl weekend, but the weekend’s top film, “Send Help,” only declined forty-seven percent. After placing third on the charts last weekend, “Melania” fell to ninth this time.
Perhaps anticipating discussion about the film’s decline, Amazon released a statement from its head of domestic theatrical distribution, Kevin Wilson. He said that theatrical and streaming represent two distinct value-creating moments that amplify the film’s overall impact.
“Melania” received universally negative reviews from critics. However, its audience rating of ninety-nine percent on Rotten Tomatoes was so high that the site issued a statement insisting the score was genuine.