“Melania” exceeds expectations and climbs to third place at the North American box office

Melania Trump’s new documentary exceeded expectations at the North American box office this weekend, led by horror film “Send Help” followed by “Iron Lung.”

Released in theaters on Friday, the Amazon MGM documentary which traces the 20 days of the First Lady before her husband’s inauguration in 2025, entered third place with $7 million in revenue, a result higher than forecasts.

“While this is a great start for a documentary, for any other film, with a $75 million budget and limited overseas potential, it would be a problem,” said analyst David Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. “But this is a political investment, not a for-profit film business,” he added. “$75 million is nothing for Amazon.”

A “very glamorous” film for Trump

“Melania” premiered Thursday in a grand preview at the Trump-Kennedy Center in Washington. The American president also praised a “very good, glamorous, very glamorous” film. The film will then be available on the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform.

From the president’s residence in Florida to the White House in the capital of the United States via the Trump Tower in New York, the 55-year-old former model continues appointments with her stylists to prepare the outfits she will wear on inauguration day or decide on the decoration at the White House.

Without any earth-shattering revelations, the documentary nevertheless tells us that the death of her mother affected her greatly and that her favorite singer is Michael Jackson. Surprise guests appear on screen, such as French First Lady Brigitte Macron with whom Melania Trump speaks by videoconference.

According to American media, Amazon would have invested up to 40 million dollars in the documentary, more than 70% of which would go to Melania Trump. This documentary is part of the context of a clear rapprochement between Jeff Bezos and Donald Trump for several months. The founder of the American group notably benefited from a front row seat during the inauguration ceremony on January 20, 2025 at the Capitol.