President Donald Trump cannot stop gushing about his wife’s newfound status as a “movie star,” repeatedly praising First Lady Melania Trump’s documentary during public appearances over the past month.
At the National Republican Congressional Committee’s annual fundraising dinner at Washington’s Union Station on Wednesday evening, the 79-year-old president turned his attention from policy matters to celebrate his 55-year-old wife’s film “Melania,” which chronicles the 20 days before Trump’s second inauguration.
“And our great first lady who now turns out to be a fantastic movie star,” Trump said to the gathered donors and lawmakers. “Do you believe this? She had the number one movie. Now she’s number one on streaming.”
The president then joked about the potential domestic complications of having two celebrities under one roof. He quipped that there’s only room for one star in a family—seemingly referring to himself—and remarked, “This is not good.”
The Brett Ratner-directed documentary premiered in theaters on January 30 and exceeded box office expectations with a $7 million opening weekend—the best debut for a non-concert documentary in over a decade. Amazon MGM Studios acquired the film for $40 million, the highest price ever paid for a commissioned documentary, and reportedly spent an additional $35 million on marketing. The combined $75 million investment made it one of the most expensive documentaries in history.
Despite its strong opening, the film experienced a sharp 67% drop in its second weekend, earning approximately $2.4 million. The documentary ultimately grossed $16.7 million worldwide—a respectable figure for the genre but far short of what would be needed to recoup its substantial investment through theatrical sales alone.
When “Melania” debuted on Amazon Prime Video on Monday, March 9, it shot to number one on the streaming platform’s U.S. charts within 24 hours. However, its reign proved short-lived. By late March, the documentary had fallen to third place behind “Mercy” and “Sinners.”
The film’s reception created a historic divide on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics savaged the documentary, with the Tomatometer score hovering around 10%—fluctuating between 5% and 11% during its theatrical run. Reviewers called it “a shameless infomercial” and “numbingly, agonizingly dull.” Meanwhile, verified audience members gave it a 98% approval rating on the Popcornmeter, marking the biggest critic-versus-audience split in Rotten Tomatoes history.
Rotten Tomatoes’ parent company Versant addressed widespread speculation about artificial manipulation of audience scores, stating that reviews displayed on the Popcornmeter are “VERIFIED reviews, meaning it has been verified that users have bought a ticket to the film.” The dramatic gap sparked debate about whether MAGA supporters had organized to inflate ratings or whether critics and audiences simply occupy different political universes.
The documentary’s theatrical run attracted a narrow demographic. Opening weekend audiences were 72% female, with 83% over the age of 45 and approximately 75% white. Rural theaters—those in areas with populations under 500,000—accounted for 46% of total box office receipts, compared to the typical 30% for most films.
This is not the first time Trump has publicly celebrated his wife’s film. At the House GOP retreat at Trump National Doral on Monday, March 9—the same day “Melania” launched on Prime Video—he told attendees that the movie “was hot” and declared his wife had “become a movie star.”
During a Board of Peace meeting in Washington, D.C., on February 19, Trump made similar boasts while discussing international affairs with top officials from around the world. He claimed the documentary had “become the biggest-selling documentary in 20 years” and that theaters were “all packed” with women returning “two or three times, four times.” Box office data did not support these claims.
The film premiered at the newly renamed Trump Kennedy Center in Washington on January 29, with President Trump joining the First Lady on the black carpet. The star-studded event drew Cabinet members, conservative influencers, and celebrities including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Mehmet Oz, Nicki Minaj, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Melania Trump told reporters that audiences would see “humor,” “grief,” and “fashion,” while learning “what it takes from going from private citizen to first lady again.”
The First Lady retained editorial control over the project, heavily involving herself in the production—including the trailer, color correction, music selection, and advertising campaign. She stated publicly that “Melania” should not be called a documentary, but rather “a creative experience that offers perspectives, insights and moments.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, the First Lady’s cut of the $40 million deal exceeded 70%—more than $28 million—raising ethical questions about a sitting first lady profiting from inside access to her private life during an active administration.
Amazon MGM Studios has expressed confidence that high streaming viewership will help recoup costs through advertising revenue and new Prime subscriptions. A follow-up three-part docuseries is also planned as part of the original deal.
The president’s repeated praise of Melania’s documentary comes despite the film’s mixed commercial performance and polarized reviews. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel called the movie a $75 million “bribe,” while Don Fox, former acting director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, stated the documentary “seemed like it was meant to curry favor” with the administration.