NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
First lady Melania Trump’s self-titled documentary got 8% from critics and 99% from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes<\/p>\n
The film, released globally in theaters on Jan. 30, had the biggest opening for a non-fiction film in the last decade<\/p>\n
Amazon MGM Studios purchased the documentary for $40 million before spending $35 million more on marketing<\/p>\n
Reviews are in for first lady Melania Trump<\/a>\u2019s self-titled documentary, showing a dramatic difference between its reception among critics and public audiences.<\/p>\n Melania<\/a>, which hit theaters on Jan. 30, has a staggering 8% approval rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a> as of Friday afternoon, up slightly from its previous 6% rating.<\/p>\n 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.)<\/p>\n The divide marks the movie review site\u2019s biggest critic versus audience split in history, a spokesperson for Rotten Tomatoes tells PEOPLE.<\/p>\n As for speculation surrounding the divide, a spokesperson for the site insists to PEOPLE, \u201cThere has been NO bot manipulation on the audience reviews for the Melania documentary.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReviews displayed on the Popcornmeter are VERIFIED reviews, meaning it has been verified that users have bought a ticket to the film,” the spokesperson continues.<\/p>\n Melania broke a record during its opening weekend from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1 after receiving a rare global theatrical release.<\/p>\n The film’s box office earnings of $7.04 million<\/a> in its first three days translated to the biggest opening for a non-fiction film in the last decade, Deadline<\/a> reported. The previous record holder was 2023’s After Death, which had a $5 million opening, per the outlet.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The film marks controversial Hollywood filmmaker Brett Ratner<\/a>\u2019s return to the big screen after being accused by six different women, including actress Olivia Munn<\/a>, of sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement, however no criminal charges were filed against him.<\/p>\n The documentary showed glimpses of the weeks leading up to President Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s second inauguration in January 2025 through the eyes of the first lady\u2013elect.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the opening weekend of Melania, a different first lady’s documentary saw a boost in viewership of 13,300%.<\/p>\n Former first lady Michelle Obama<\/a>\u2019s May 2020 documentary Becoming<\/a>,\u00a0reached 47.5 million minutes of viewership on Netflix between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1 \u2014 when Trump’s documentary premiered in theaters \u2014 after only being streamed for 354,000 minutes the weekend before.<\/p>\n The film, titled after Obama’s best-selling 2018 memoir<\/a>, showed a \u201crare and up-close look at her life\u201d after her husband finished his presidency, according to Netflix, and brought viewers behind the scenes of her 34-city book tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n Obama\u2019s Becoming sits at 93% from critics and a 78% from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>.<\/p>\n