At the end of January, Melania Trump is set to debut a new documentary film centered on her life and role in the public eye. The project, titled Melania, premieres in U.S. cinemas on January 30, and while Donald Trump has promoted it enthusiastically as a “must-watch,” early indicators suggest that audience interest may be far more limited than expected.
The documentary was first announced just weeks before Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration a year ago. At the time, it was reported that Amazon paid approximately $40 million to license the film, signaling high expectations for its reach and impact. Speaking to Fox when production was underway, Melania Trump described the project as an intimate look at her daily life and responsibilities.
“So I had an idea to make a movie, to make a film about my life. My life is incredible. It’s incredibly busy,” she said, explaining that the documentary would show aspects of her role that “people they don’t really know and they will see it.”
Initially scheduled for release in the final quarter of 2025, the film’s premiere was moved forward. Beginning January 30, Melania will screen in cinemas across the United States. Supporters of Donald Trump have expressed anticipation, and the former president took to X earlier this week to encourage ticket sales.
“MELANIA, the Movie, is a MUST WATCH,” Trump wrote. “Get your tickets today – Selling out, FAST!”
However, available data and social media posts suggest a different reality. Images shared online from theaters in multiple cities show seating charts with large numbers of unsold seats, and in some cases, no tickets sold at all. As a result, the film has become a target of online mockery, with users questioning the gap between promotional claims and actual demand.
According to entertainment journalist Rob Shuter, the slow sales have led to behind-the-scenes efforts to improve appearances. Writing on his Substack, Shuter claimed that Republican clubs in several conservative-leaning areas have quietly purchased blocks of tickets—or even entire screenings—to prevent theaters from appearing empty.
“This isn’t organic demand,” one unnamed insider told him. “It’s about optics. Empty theaters look terrible.”
Other sources alleged that tickets have been distributed at heavy discounts or offered for free through GOP-affiliated websites. Despite these efforts, demand reportedly remains weak.
“They’re struggling to give the tickets away,” another source said, while a third described the situation as feeling “less like a movie night and more like a loyalty check.”
The discussion has also sparked broader curiosity about how movie theaters handle screenings when attendance is minimal or nonexistent. On Reddit, users weighed in on the topic. One former theater employee explained that daytime screenings would typically still run, but late-night showings might be shut down after a short delay if no one arrived.
“They would sometimes turn the lamp off on the projector to save the bulb,” the user wrote, noting that staff would restart the film if a last-minute customer appeared.
Another former cinema worker added that films were often allowed to play for about twenty minutes before being turned off if no tickets were sold, calling those empty auditoriums “my favorite to clean.”
Despite the lukewarm response, Melania Trump has publicly expressed confidence and pride in the project. Following a private screening at the White House on January 25, she shared her thoughts on X.
“MELANIA, the film A Historic Moment… I am deeply humbled to have been surrounded by an inspiring room of friends, family, and cultural iconoclasts at the White House last night,” she wrote.
She went on to describe the event as an honor and emphasized the enduring value of personal stories, framing the documentary as a meaningful contribution ahead of its global launch.
Whether ticket sales will improve after the official release remains to be seen. For now, Melania enters theaters amid mixed reactions, strong promotion from its most prominent supporter, and ongoing debate about public interest in yet another political-adjacent documentary.
As the film rolls out nationwide, audience response in the coming days will ultimately determine whether it gains momentum—or continues to face an uphill climb at the box office.
