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First lady Melania Trump’s self-titled documentary got 8% from critics and 99% from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes
The film, released globally in theaters on Jan. 30, had the biggest opening for a non-fiction film in the last decade
Amazon MGM Studios purchased the documentary for $40 million before spending $35 million more on marketing
Reviews are in for first lady Melania Trump’s self-titled documentary, showing a dramatic difference between its reception among critics and public audiences.
Melania, which hit theaters on Jan. 30, has a staggering 8% approval rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes as of Friday afternoon, up slightly from its previous 6% rating.
The general audience seemed to have enjoyed the documentary more, with 99% of verified Rotten Tomatoes users rating the film positively. (The number plummets to 29% approval when you incorporate unverified ratings.)
The divide marks the movie review site’s biggest critic versus audience split in history, a spokesperson for Rotten Tomatoes tells PEOPLE.
As for speculation surrounding the divide, a spokesperson for the site insists to PEOPLE, “There has been NO bot manipulation on the audience reviews for the Melania documentary.”
“Reviews displayed on the Popcornmeter are VERIFIED reviews, meaning it has been verified that users have bought a ticket to the film,” the spokesperson continues.
Melania broke a record during its opening weekend from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1 after receiving a rare global theatrical release.
The film’s box office earnings of $7.04 million in its first three days translated to the biggest opening for a non-fiction film in the last decade, Deadline reported. The previous record holder was 2023’s After Death, which had a $5 million opening, per the outlet.
The early box office earnings remained just a fraction of what Amazon MGM Studios put into the film, which was purchased for $40 million and received a $35 million marketing push.
The film marks controversial Hollywood filmmaker Brett Ratner’s return to the big screen after being accused by six different women, including actress Olivia Munn, of sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement, however no criminal charges were filed against him.
The documentary showed glimpses of the weeks leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025 through the eyes of the first lady–elect.
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During the opening weekend of Melania, a different first lady’s documentary saw a boost in viewership of 13,300%.
Former first lady Michelle Obama’s May 2020 documentary Becoming, reached 47.5 million minutes of viewership on Netflix between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1 — when Trump’s documentary premiered in theaters — after only being streamed for 354,000 minutes the weekend before.
The film, titled after Obama’s best-selling 2018 memoir, showed a “rare and up-close look at her life” after her husband finished his presidency, according to Netflix, and brought viewers behind the scenes of her 34-city book tour.
Obama’s Becoming sits at 93% from critics and a 78% from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes.
Read the original article on People