‘Melania’ was purchased by Amazon MGM Studios for a whopping $40 million, and received a $35 million marketing push ahead of its premiere
By Paloma Chavez Paloma Chavez Paloma Chavez is a staff writer on PEOPLE’s current events team.Before joining PEOPLE, she worked for McClatchy’s real-time team covering breaking news, crime, and internet culture.People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 1, 2026 01:11PM EST 455 Comments First lady Melania Trump attends the world premiere of ‘Melania’ at the Kennedy Center on Jan.29, 2026.Credit : Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
NEED TO KNOW First lady Melania Trump’s new documentary earned $7.04 million during its opening weekend at the box office Melania ‘s opening weekend made up for only a fraction of the film’s budget, which sold to Amazon MGM Studios for $40 million and received a $35 million marketing push The documentary premiered on Jan.29 at the newly rebranded Kennedy Center ahead of its global theatrical release a day later Melania Trump ‘s big-budget documentary, Melania , earned $7.04 million at the opening weekend box office.
The film’s box office total marks the biggest opening for a non-fiction film in the last decade, Deadline reported.The previous record holder was 2023’s After Death, which had a $5 million opening, per the outlet.
Pre-release estimates for the film eyed a $3 million to $5 million debut, according to Variety .
Melania premiered at the newly rebranded Kennedy Center on Thursday, Jan.
29, ahead of its global theatrical release on Friday, Jan.30.
The film, backed by a $40 million deal with Amazon MGM Studios and a $35 million marketing campaign, shows selective glimpses of the first lady’s life in the weeks leading up to President Donald Trump ‘s second inauguration in January 2025.
The project marks director Brett Ratner ’s return to the big screen after being accused by six different women, including actress Olivia Munn , of sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement, however no criminal charges were filed against him.
The first lady, 55, who also served as an executive producer on the documentary, held a private first viewing of Melania at the White House on Saturday, Jan.24 — while protests were unfolding in Minneapolis in response to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol — calling the friends and family film screening “a historic moment.”
“I am deeply humbled to have been surrounded by an inspiring room of friends, family, and cultural iconoclasts at the White House last night.Each of these individuals brought their unique vision to the world, making a lasting impression,” she wrote in a Jan.25 post on X .
“Our personal stories endure time and serve as a reminder of our mutual obligation to one another.It was an honor to present my new film, MELANIA , ahead of its global launch,” she added.
Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives.Scan to download now! Ahead of the official release, the film’s opening weekend projections were set to be a fraction of the film’s budget, with market research company National Research Group having projected a $5 million opening weekend, according to Puck .
Boxoffice Pro predicted an even smaller opening weekend, anticipating between $1 million and $2 million.
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This could be just the beginning for the first lady playing a large role in a Hollywood film.
In November, during a 10-second video posted to her X account , the first lady shared that she had launched a new production company called Muse Films.
Marc Beckman, the first lady’s senior adviser and agent, tells PEOPLE that Muse Films will continue producing lifestyle content for film and television after the rollout of Melania , focusing on lifestyle themes that cater to female audiences.
“Think fashion, art, music, sports and entertainment,” Beckman says, plus “areas like technology, family, health and wellness.”
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