The documentary Melania, based on former First Lady Melania Trump, had one of the most unusual theatrical runs this year. After struggling at the box office and facing heavy criticism, the film is now moving to streaming platforms.
The documentary Melania was released in theatres on January 30, 2026. It was directed by Brett Ratner and produced by Amazon MGM Studios.
The film attempts to offer a behind the scenes look at Melania Trump’s life. It focuses on the weeks leading up to the second presidential inauguration of Donald Trump.
Despite a large promotional campaign and a wide theatrical release across thousands of theatres, the documentary failed to impress critics. Many reviewers described the film as shallow and overly promotional.
Critics also said the documentary revealed very little about its central subject. On several review aggregator platforms, the film received extremely low scores and negative reactions.
The box office numbers also reflected the poor response. The documentary opened with about 7 million dollars in its first weekend.
However, ticket sales declined sharply after the opening. By the end of its theatrical run, the film earned around 16.7 million dollars worldwide.
The earnings were far below the estimated production budget of 40 million dollars. Reports also suggested that around 35 million dollars were spent on marketing.
With limited success in theatres, the documentary is now shifting to digital streaming. The move is expected to give the film a second chance to reach viewers.
The documentary Melania will begin streaming on Amazon Prime Video from March 9. The platform may help the film reach a broader audience after its disappointing theatrical performance.
