New York is the first stop for Melania, the first lady of the United States, when she lands in the continental United States. It is also the place she has publicly called "home" many times. But on the occasion of the release of Melania, a new documentary featuring her, the city's reaction has been remarkably muted. The North American Outpost headed to the Regal Cinema in Times Square on a weekday morning. There were probably only three or four people in the audience in the huge screening room. The recent cold wave has hit the northeastern United States, and people generally reduce their plans to go out. "North American Outpost" randomly searched for screenings in traditional box office centers such as Boston and Washington, showing that the movie's vacancy rate is still very high.
But at the same time, the box office data is extremely impressive. Data shows that the box office of the film during its opening weekend reached US$7 million. Amazon spent US$40 million to buy the distribution rights of "Melania" and will spend US$35 million on marketing. It will be released in 1,778 theaters in the United States. According to data from the research organization EntTelligence, about 46% of the North American box office of "Melania" came from theaters in rural areas, which is much higher than the normal level for other movie premieres. Republican-dominated counties performed particularly well, accounting for about 53% of box office revenue. States that stand out at the box office include Florida, Texas and Arizona. It is reported that the film will also be released in 1,600 theaters overseas.
Opponents derided the film as "gilded trash," while supporters praised the film for capturing the first lady's "elegance and wisdom" and as a victory for the "silent majority." What exactly is this new documentary about? Why does word-of-mouth diverge?
(You can click on the promotional link on the Amazon Video website to jump directly to the theater to purchase tickets)
Restoring history, or splicing narratives?
This documentary follows the life and work of US First Lady Melania 20 days before the presidential inauguration on January 21, 2025. Through close-up shots, the audience was able to see how she prepared the details of the attire for the presidential swearing-in ceremony at her home in Trump Tower in New York, how she repeatedly discussed the collar modification plan with the designer, and how she communicated with the White House interior decorator about the direction of future furniture furnishings.
In these details, Melania showed her professional background in the fashion industry from time to time, and also mentioned her experience of studying architectural design in an attempt to strengthen her "professionalism" in aesthetics and space design.
The camera then moves to her traveling to Washington with the president-elect to attend the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. But the focus of the narrative does not fall on the political ceremony itself, but keeps returning to her private grief of losing her mother a year ago. The film intercuts scenes of her hurriedly returning to a New York cathedral to light a candle for her mother after attending an official event in Washington, thereby bringing out her identity as a Slovenian immigrant and the profound impact her mother's career in the arts had on her personal values and family concepts.
The main line then returns to the preparation process for the president-elect's inauguration celebration, such as the interview and recruitment of personnel for the first lady's office. Although Trump teased French President Macron at this year's Davos Forum, the documentary showed a video call between Melania and the French First Lady. The two discussed anxiety disorders and the use of social media among teenagers in the two countries, and said they would learn from each other on related issues. The film also reviews the power transfer process at the beginning of Trump's second term from the first lady's perspective, including the oath-taking ceremony, candlelight dinner and other key nodes. The film does not shy away from political and business celebrities participating in the event. The documentary simultaneously records the social scenes of former US President Biden and his wife, the Clintons, Musk, Bezos, etc. at related events.
In some passages, the documentary presents details that have never been made public in news footage: such as Trump rehearsing his inauguration speech backstage. As he talked about his vision for the future, Melania pointed out that he should be regarded not only as a "peacemaker" but also as a "unifier". Trump told the camera on the spot, "Don't cut this in," and Melania responded: "Cut it in."
This kind of strong judgment displayed in front of the camera is not entirely consistent with the public impression that she has always maintained restraint and rarely expressed her opinions.
The film then shows Trump using the word "Unifier" in a formal speech, prompting "thundering applause." He turned around on the podium and gestured to Melania, who was sitting in the back row, as if to acknowledge her contribution.
However, after comparing the complete video of the live speech that day, Bob Mondello, a senior commentator at NPR, pointed out that after Trump used the word "Unifier", he actually went directly to the next topic, without the prolonged applause shown in the documentary. This detail has been interpreted as: the film has editing and splicing at key nodes, rather than historical restoration.
"The film tampered with the facts and changed the truth to make it appear that she played an important role in her husband's political career, which was not the case," Mondello said on the show.
Ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange and holding a preview screening at the White House, a "super luxury" announcement lineup that spans politics and business
(Picture: Melania rings the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange with her new film)
From the perspective of publicity and distribution, the resource allocation of "Melania" is rare.
A small internal screening of the film was held at the White House on January 24, 2026. The Hollywood Reporter detailed the list of guests present, including Queen Rania of Jordan, Apple CEO Tim Cook, AMD CEO Lisa Su, Zoom CEO Yuan Zheng, New York Stock Exchange CEO Lynne Martin and other political and business heavyweights. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and Amazon Studios chief Mike Hopkins also appeared.
Guests reportedly received commemorative black-and-white popcorn boxes, beautifully framed collector's edition screening tickets, souvenir cookies bearing the first lady's name, and a limited-edition autobiography of the same name.
On January 28, Melania rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange with her new film, accompanied by New York Stock Exchange CEO Lynn Martin and Chairman of the Board Jeffrey Sprecher. At the subsequent celebration held by the exchange, Melania spoke:
"Excellent narratives shape culture, and culture in turn drives the market. In the not-too-distant future, cultural influence will be as important as economic power." She emphasized that the audience is not just watching the film, but "participating in a great American tradition and becoming part of the country's history."
On January 29, the film had an even grander premiere at the Kennedy Center in Washington. The event is regarded by the outside world as a political "mobilization" of the Trump administration. Many core cabinet members, including the Secretary of Defense, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Education, as well as senior members of Congress attended the event. Its political overtones are far beyond ordinary movie premieres.
In terms of investment and publicity, Amazon's global marketing budget for the film has been repeatedly reported to be approximately US$35 million, covering TV advertising, outdoor advertising, theater placement, and at one time immersive promotion at The Sphere, a landmark building in Las Vegas. The distribution map spans 27 countries, and Melania herself also forwarded the outdoor advertising footage of the film in Melbourne, Seoul, Berlin, Madrid and other places on social media.
The film is currently only being released in theaters, but many media quoted Amazon insiders as saying that the film will be released on the streaming platform later, and a series following the first lady and her family members has also entered the production stage.
(Picture: On social media, supporters of the film posted their ticket stubs or gave the film good reviews, and the reputation was polarized.)
“Gilded Trash” or “Triumph of the Silent Majority”?
In mainstream European and American media and social platforms, the evaluation of "Melania" shows a highly polarizing pattern.
Liberal and left-leaning media generally gave it a negative review, while conservative and right-leaning media mostly defended or even praised it highly. Criticisms from mainstream media focused on the film's hollow content, lack of depth, highly politicized production motives, and "improper timing" for its release during a period of high social tension. The BBC noted that the film "focuses on Melania's meetings with stylists, event planners and interior designers, with little touching on her personal perspective."
The editor of "The Atlantic Monthly" bluntly stated that the film is more like a "highly packaged image project" and disclosed that about two-thirds of the members of the New York production team chose not to sign because they were uncomfortable with the promotional nature of the work. The criticism also extends to director Brett Ratner's controversial past, Amazon's high-dollar investment decision, and ethical questions raised by the film's White House premiere taking place on the same day as a shooting of a civilian by a federal law enforcement officer.
In contrast, a handful of conservative media outlets gave it highly positive reviews. A Fox News critic said the film's box office success "upset critics who desperately wanted her to fail" and argued that the film showed a "real-life relationship" that directly contradicted the negative rumors that have long surrounded the Trumps' relationship.
Melania herself also retweeted Breitbart and Just the News reports on social media. Both conservative media outlets emphasized that the film "scored the best opening weekend box office performance in the documentary category in the past decade." Breitbart editors even wrote that its box office has surpassed the five films nominated for this year's Academy Awards, suggesting that the film defeated traditional Hollywood judgment and aesthetics. However, after verification, it will be found that these five films are relatively niche literary films, and this statement is somewhat misleading.
On the social media level, the controversy is even more intense. On social media Reddit, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, satirical content dominates, and questions about rating manipulation and organized voting continue to grow. The film received a very low score of 6% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but it also received a high score of 99% from audiences, setting one of the widest score differentials in the platform's history.
However, many supporters posted ticket stubs on the platform and praised the film for capturing the "elegance and wisdom" of the first lady. This situation is more common on the Truth social platform where conservative right-wing platforms gather.
Controversies Beyond Film: Conflicts of Interest and Unconventional Business Investments
As the project's financing and sales details were gradually revealed, Amazon's role in the film began to be viewed by the outside world as an unconventional business bet that deviated from its past documentary investment logic.
Foreign media reported that in December 2024, Amazon founder Bezos had dinner with President-elect Trump and his wife at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. During the dinner, Melania introduced the concept and positioning of the documentary to Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez in detail.
Two weeks later, Amazon, known for its cost control and meticulous negotiation, offered $40 million to buy the rights to the documentary and related series. Not only was the price Amazon's highest bid for a documentary to date, it was also nearly three times the second-highest bid. In contrast, Netflix and Apple did not participate in the bidding. Disney, which was the most interested besides Amazon, offered $14 million.
In a platform system known for being data-driven and with quantifiable returns, such an investment scale is particularly prominent. Amazon's external explanation is, "We purchased this upcoming Melania Trump documentary and series for one reason only - we think users will like it." However, this statement did not completely eliminate the market's doubts.
In this context, if you only regard "Melania" as a documentary, it is actually difficult to explain why it triggered such a big reaction. The box office, empty venues, applause, and ridicule do not match each other.
The problem may not be the movie itself, but the timing of its appearance. The United States is approaching its 250th anniversary and is once again entering an election cycle. Debates about "who this country is" and "which stories deserve to be written into history" have never stopped. Naturally, it is difficult for a documentary that the First Lady personally participated in the production to integrate her personal experience into the national narrative and be viewed as just a cultural product.
As a result, the film's reputation has been divided, more like a projection. Some people see it as a historical fragment, while others see a political stance; some regard it as a private story, while others regard it as participating in public expression. The focus of the debate continues to change. The film also touches on one of the most difficult questions to answer in the United States today: In a highly polarized political environment, should documentaries record reality or participate in struggle?