Melania Trump appeared on X Saturday morning to show off the early results of her new documentary “Melania,” which was released Friday.
The first lady posted that “First Lady Melania Trump” is on track to have the best opening for a documentary (excluding concert films) in a decade, earning it an “A” score from film pollster CinemaScore. Variety recognized both awards.
Audiences were enthusiastic about “Melania,” but critics weren’t. This movie has a poor critic score of 6% on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, but a high audience score of 99%. Key markets for the film include Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Houston, and Atlanta.
Variety magazine film critic Owen Gleiberman was among the dissatisfied critics. In his review, he wrote that “Melania” was “like state-sanctioned propaganda straight out of Communist China in the 1960s, without even treading into controversial waters.”
“By the time ‘Melania’ arrives at the inauguration, the film has immersed itself in a series of rituals (candlelight dinner, inauguration itself, luncheon, starlight ball). Filmmaking itself is so ritualized that this feels oddly fitting,” he added. “The air of experience never sets in, and that should say something. ‘Melania’ is a reality show designed from the top down, as dedicated to blocking reality as the Trump administration.”
Directed by Brett Ratner, “Melania” follows the first lady during the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration. The doc earned $2.9 million on its first day and is expected to earn $8.1 million by Sunday. This figure represents a significant increase from the original estimate of $3 million to $5 million. Amazon MGM spent $40 million to acquire the film.
Melania marks Ratner’s first major directorial effort since sexual assault allegations completely derailed her career in 2017. He is reportedly set to direct Paramount’s Rush Hour 4 soon at the request of the White House.
