A $40M movie about Melania Trump premiered in the UK — and only 1person bothered to show up
Melania Trump’s documentary, conveniently titled Melania, is scheduled for release in theatres in a few days; however, things are not looking too good as early ticket sales for the movie are failing to live up to the hype created around it, primarily by Trump and his supporters. In fact, based on current statistics, particularly those coming from the United Kingdom, the situation is quite sad.
As per an article from The Guardian published on January 26, 2026, Tim Richards, the chief executive of Vue, one of the most notable cinema operators in the UK, has remarked that ticket sales for Melania have been “soft” thus far. It also indicated that only one ticket had been sold for the premiere screening of the film, which is set for 3:10 pm on Friday at Vue’s Islington branch in London. However, it also mentioned that two tickets had been booked for the 6 pm show, which, to be honest, is still quite poor, even if it is an improvement over one. In other theatres, ticket sales were somewhat better. According to the article, Richards pointed out a notable reluctance from the masses for the film, with many questioning Vue’s decision to run the documentary and sending emails voicing their opinions. He stated:
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.”
Richards’ comments about Melania align with a statement from an industry analyst who spoke to the Guardian and alleged that the documentary was part of a “four-walling” strategy. What does that mean? It basically means that the distributors of the film are paying theatres to run the movie. If this doesn’t smell like propaganda, then I don’t know what does. This also may or may not entail that the movie’s success or failure wouldn’t have much effect on the people involved with it, as their primary intent is reach, and even if 2 people watch it, they have fulfilled their agenda to a certain extent.
What is the documentary Melania about?
The documentary Melania explores the life of Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States, during the twenty days leading up to her husband Donald Trump’s second term as President. Directed by Brett Ratner, who faced allegations of sexual misconduct from several women in 2017, the film is co-produced by Ratner, Fernando Sulichin, Marc Beckman, and Melania Trump herself. Amazon MGM Studios purchased the rights to the documentary for $40 million, with an extra $35 million allocated for its marketing campaign.
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