The documentary film “Melania,” featuring the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, premiered domestically and achieved a box office revenue of $7.04 million over the weekend, setting a record as the highest domestic debut box office for a non-music documentary in over a decade.
According to data from Comscore, a U.S. internet marketing information service provider, the debut box office revenue for documentaries in the past decade has mostly been below $5 million. This also marks the best debut box office record for a documentary in 14 years, excluding documentaries and concert films by popular musicians.
The entertainment and culture magazine Variety reported that prior to the release of this documentary, the expected debut box office revenue was between $3 to $5 million.
Directed by Michael Moore, “Fahrenheit 9/11” still holds the record for the highest debut box office revenue for a political documentary, with an amount of $23.9 million. This film, released in 2004, also maintains the record for the highest domestic box office revenue for a political documentary at $119 million.
Kevin Wilson, the domestic theatrical distribution head of Amazon MGM Studios, which distributed and screened the documentary, stated: “The strong start of ‘Melania’ and the positive audience response have been very encouraging for us, and the early box office performance has exceeded our expectations.”
The release of “Melania” was unprecedented. Amazon MGM Studios acquired the rights to the film for $40 million and additionally allocated approximately $35 million for marketing expenses, making it the most expensive documentary ever produced.
The documentary showcases segments of Melania Trump’s life in the weeks leading up to the second presidential inauguration of President Trump in January 2025.
Melania, aged 55, is also an executive producer of the documentary. The film premiered globally last Thursday (January 29) at the Trump-Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Formerly known as the Kennedy Center, both President Trump and the First Lady were in attendance at the event.