{"id":262760,"date":"2026-02-01T17:35:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T17:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/262760\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T17:35:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T17:35:06","slug":"first-lady-doc-beats-expectations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/262760\/","title":{"rendered":"First Lady Doc Beats Expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\u201cMelania<\/a>,\u201d a documentary that shadows the first lady of the United States in the lead-up to Donald Trump\u2019s second presidential inauguration, is eclipsing box office expectations. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe film has generated $7.04 million from 1,778 North American theaters, a huge start for a documentary (especially one that doesn\u2019t involve music and isn\u2019t\u00a0about a concert<\/a>). Projections, which fluctuated throughout the weekend, launched above pre-release estimates of $3 million to $5 million. Amazon MGM spent a staggering amount of money on the film, acquiring the doc for $40 million and then shelling out $35 million on the marketing spend. Theater owners keep about half of ticket sales, which will make it difficult to justify the theatrical cost of \u201cMelania.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, a deep-pocketed streamer like Amazon cares about much more than box office grosses; the studio plans to recoup some of its costs when \u201cMelania\u201d lands on its Prime streaming service after its theatrical run. \u201cMelania\u201d will need to generate around $40 million to $45 million at the domestic box office to break even, according to sources familiar with the economics of similar films. Those sources believe that \u201cMelania\u201d has secured lucrative licensing deals that will offset the high promotional costs.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re very encouraged by the strong start and positive audience response, with early box office for\u00a0\u2018Melania\u2019\u00a0exceeding our expectations,\u201d says Amazon MGM\u2019s head of domestic theatrical distribution Kevin Wilson. \u201cThis momentum is an important first step in what we see as a long-tail lifecycle for both the film and the forthcoming docu-series, extending well beyond the theatrical window and into what we believe will be a significant run for both on our service. We are confident in the long-term value this rollout will deliver to customers both in theaters, and for years to come on Prime Video.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tFor \u201cMelania,\u201d opening weekend crowds were mostly older women; 72% of ticket buyers were female and 83% were above the age of 45, according to Amazon MGM. Nearly 75% of audiences were white, with Hispanic, the next-largest demo, at 11% of ticket buyers. Meanwhile the top moviegoing markets were outside of traditional locations like New York City and Los Angeles and included Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix and West Palm Beach \u2014 cities where the president is popular. \u201cMelania\u201d may have one of the largest discrepancies between audience sentiments and critical reviews; the film boasts an \u201cA\u201d grade on CinemaScore exit polls as well as a blistering 6% average on Rotten Tomatoes. <\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s been outsized media coverage about \u201cMelania,\u201d at least compared to other documentaries, because of the lavish price tag and the president\u2019s own promotional push. (He called \u201cMelania\u201d a \u201cmust watch\u201d and claimed that showtimes are \u201cselling out, FAST!\u201d on\u00a0social media platforms<\/a>. Meanwhile the film\u2019s subject tweeted over the weekend <\/a>the doc is \u201cloved by all.\u201d) Amazon MGM\u2019s mega spend for \u201cMelania\u201d has raised questions about the company\u2019s motivations: Was this film really about its interest in an insider account of the White House or an attempt to cozy up to the current administration? <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAs good as this opening is for a documentary, for any other film, opening like this \u2014 against $75 million in costs with very little foreign potential \u2014 would be a problem. But this is a political investment, not a for-profit movie venture,\u201d suggests David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research.\u00a0\u201cIf it helps Amazon with a regulatory, taxation, tariff or other government issue, then it will pay back; $75 million is insignificant to Amazon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMelania\u201d is opening in theaters against a\u00a0backdrop of political unrest<\/a>, with ICE raids in Minneapolis and other parts of the country prompting a bipartisan backlash. Brett Ratner, whose credits include \u201cRush Hour\u201d and \u201cX-Men: The Last Stand,\u201d directed the film, marking the first project since his career was derailed in 2017 by sexual assault allegations. (He has denied those accusations.) Rolling Stone reported<\/a>\u00a0that two-thirds of the crew members who worked on \u201cMelania\u201d in New York asked that their names not be formally credited on the documentary.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMelania\u201d placed at No. 3 on domestic box office charts behind two fellow newcomers, Sam Raimi\u2019s survival thriller \u201cSend Help<\/a>\u201d and YouTube creator Markiplier\u2019s very indie adventure \u201cIron Lung.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter a close race, \u201cSend Help\u201d narrowly pulled ahead with $20 million from 3,475 North American locations. Disney and 20th Century\u2019s film collected a softer-than-expected $8.1 million at the international box office, bringing its global tally to $28 million. That\u2019s a solid start for the $40 million production, which is expected to stick around beyond its debut, thanks to great word-of-mouth and enthusiasm for original horror.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSend Help\u201d brought out a younger male crowd; 53% were men while 53% were between the ages of 18 to 34. The R-rated film earned a positive \u201cB+\u201d grade on CinemaScore exit polls and a 93% Rotten Tomatoes average from critics. Rachel McAdams and Dylan O\u2019Brien star in \u201cSend Help\u201d as a looked-over employee and her toxic boss, who get stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIron Lung\u201d impressed in second place with $18 million from 3,015 cinemas. This turnout is especially notable because ticket sales nearly matched the result of a major release from Disney but without mainstream resources. Markiplier (his real name is Mark Fischback) wrote, directed, financed and distributed \u201cIron Lung\u201d against a reported $3 million budget. <\/p>\n

\n\tEven if the film\u2019s box office performance is front-loaded, meaning \u201cIron Lung\u201d quickly runs out of steam, it\u2019ll be a hugely successful endeavor for Fischback, who boasts 73 million followers across digital platforms. The YouTube star also leads the post-apocalyptic adventure, which is based on the 2022 indie video game and follows a fugitive who has to scavenge natural resources in an ocean of blood after a rapture. \u201cIron Lung\u201d doesn\u2019t have a CinemaScore but boasts a 90% audience average on Rotten Tomatoes. According to exit polls, 60% of inaugural crowds were male and 85% were between 18 and 34 years old. Meanwhile 71% cited \u201can actor in the lead role\u201d as their main reason for wanting to see the film.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c\u2018Iron Lung\u2019\u00a0is an extension of the Markiplier online phenomenon. This kind of thing happens a couple times a year when a fan frenzy comes to the movies from another medium,\u201d Gross says. \u201cIt\u2019s good news every time; it jolts the market with fresh energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cShelter\u201d tumbled to the No. 6 spot with $5.5 million from 2,726 theaters in its first weekend of release. That\u2019s a dismal start against its $50 million production budget. The R-rated film was directed by Ric Roman Waugh, the filmmaker behind a slew of Gerard Butler-led action thrillers like \u201cGreenland\u201d and \u201cAngel Has Fallen.\u201d It follows a reclusive man who unwittingly sets off a violent chain reaction after he rescues a young girl from drowning in a terrible storm. \u201cShelter\u201d is being released by newer distributor Black Bear, which plans to unveil the Matthew McConaughey-led \u201cThe Rivals of Amziah King,\u201d ensemble comedy \u201cSpa Weekend\u201d and Guy Ritchie\u2019s \u201cWife and Dog\u201d over the next few months.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn limited release, A24\u2019s Charli xcx mockumentary \u201cThe Moment\u201d scored with $427,940 from four screens \u2014 averaging $106,985 per location. A24 says it\u2019s the third biggest limited opening of the post-COVID era as well as one of the biggest for A24 all-time behind only \u201cMarty Supreme\u201d and \u201cUncut Gems.\u201d It\u2019s unclear how the momentum will sustain when \u201cThe Moment\u201d expands nationwide. However, the Charli-centric movie doesn\u2019t need to reach the box office heights of \u201cMarty Supreme\u201d or \u201cUncut Gems\u201d to be financially successful; \u201cThe Moment\u201d carries a modest $4 million price tag.<\/p>\n

\n\tOverall this weekend was 83% above the previous frame, which was hobbled by a massive winter storm<\/a>, though 5% below the same period last year. Through the first month of the year, grosses are 13% above 2025. Hollywood and cinema owners are hoping a range of blockbusters \u2014 \u00a0from \u201cAvengers: Doomsday\u201d and \u201cSpider-Man: Brand New Day\u201d to Christopher Nolan\u2019s \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d and \u201cThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie\u201d \u2014 will keep up momentum and propel revenues near pre-pandemic heights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cMelania,\u201d a documentary that shadows the first lady of the United States in the lead-up to Donald Trump\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262761,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[156,29713,409,111,139,69,59714],"class_list":{"0":"post-262760","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-melania","10":"tag-movies","11":"tag-new-zealand","12":"tag-newzealand","13":"tag-nz","14":"tag-send-help"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}