“Melania Movie Streams Online After Box Office Flop”
Following its disappointing box office performance, the documentary titled “Melania” will soon be available for online streaming. Directed by Brett Ratner and produced by Amazon-MGM, it is set to debut on Amazon Prime on March 9, less than six weeks after it premiered at the Kennedy Center.
Box Office Performance and Reception
“Melania” chronicles the life of the former First Lady during the 20 days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration. Despite initial expectations, the film faced significant challenges at the box office. It launched on January 30, earning approximately $7 million in its opening weekend, resulting in one of the highest openings for a non-musical documentary in the past decade.
However, with a production cost of about $75 million, the film needed to perform significantly better to be considered a financial success. In the UK, “Melania” generated just £32,974 (around $44,604) across 155 cinemas in its opening weekend. Additionally, it faced early withdrawal in South Africa before its release.
Declining Viewership
After its initial success, “Melania” experienced a drastic decline. By its third weekend, attendance dropped by 62.3%. Within four weeks, the documentary vanished from box office rankings and did not appear on IMDb’s top 38 films.
Streaming Strategy and Future Plans
Despite its struggles, Amazon aims to recover production costs through its streaming platform. Kevin Wilson, distribution chief at Amazon MGM, highlighted that the strong opening weekend was a crucial moment, laying the groundwork for future engagement and building anticipation ahead of the streaming release on Prime Video.
- Film Title: Melania
- Director: Brett Ratner
- Production Company: Amazon-MGM
- Release Date: March 9
- Budget: $75 million
- Opening Weekend Earnings: $7 million
- Total Worldwide Earnings: $16.6 million
- UK Opening Weekend Earnings: £32,974 (approximately $44,604)
- Number of Theaters Released: Over 2,000
Through advertising strategies and potential Prime subscriptions, Amazon hopes “Melania” will gain traction once it streams, working to recover costs associated with this ambitious documentary project.
