This week Amazon released its authorised documentary about Melania Trump in more than 100 UK cinemas and was met with shockingly low ticket sales, with some venues selling only a single ticket.

The one hour and 48 minute film was directed by Rush Hour director Brett Ratner, who, like Trump, has faced multiple allegations of sexual abuse. The film premiered in the UK on Friday, 30 January 2026 after Amazon MGM Studios paid a reported £30 million to acquire the rights to the documentary, with a large portion of that sum allegedly going directly to Melania herself. So far, it appears unlikely that much of that investment will be recouped through ticket sales, with one of the very few Britons who saw the film describing it as “tone-deaf” and another saying “it’s like if Victoria Beckham became first lady.”

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During Thursday’s red carpet premiere at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, US President Donald Trump, who married Yugoslavian-born Melania in 2005, said:

“I think it’s really going to be very important. It shows life in the White House. It’s a big deal actually.”

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Despite Trump’s optimism, Tim Richards, the chief executive of Vue, generously described ticket sales for the multi million pound production as “soft”. Vue Cinemas, one of the UK’s largest cinema operators with 880 screens nationwide, reported on Monday that just one ticket had been sold for the first 3.10pm screening on Friday at its flagship Islington branch in London. Meanwhile, all seats remained available across 28 screenings of Melania at its Blackburn, Castleford and Hamilton branches.

Cineworld, the UK’s second largest cinema chain by market share and number of venues after Odeon, reported slightly more optimistic figures. As of Monday, four tickets had been sold for a screening in Wandsworth, while a further five back row seats were booked at the Cineworld in Broughton.

Melania, 55, born Melanija Knavs, was introduced to Donald Trump in 1998 by businessman Paolo Zampolli, who now serves as the United States Special Representative for Global Partnerships in Trump’s administration. Trump’s presidency has been marked by an escalating series of controversies, most recently surrounding immigration policy. His move to detain a record number of people has generated significant backlash.

In 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement recorded its deadliest year in two decades, with 32 people dying in custody. The highly publicised deaths of 37 year old Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis have further eroded public support for Trump. He initially responded to Good’s death by saying:

“The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense.”

And in response to Pretti’s death in the open carry state, he said: “You can’t walk in with guns. You just can’t. You can’t walk in with guns. You can’t do that. But it’s a very unfortunate incident.”

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Earlier this month Boxoffice Pro estimated Melania would generate up to £1.5 million during its opening weekend. However, the National Research Group later projected higher takings of £3.7 million across the United States. UK projections remain difficult to determine and only time will tell whether the film will ultimately be deemed a complete flop.

Trump’s mounting mishandlings have not only made viewing the documentary controversial but have also sparked backlash against cinemas screening it. Responding to what he described as a significant volume of complaint emails, Richards stated:

“I have told everyone that, regardless of how we feel about the movie, if it is BBFC [British Board of Film Classification] approved we look at them and 99% of the time we will show it…We do not play judge and jury to censor movies.”

The film, executive produced by Melania, documents the 20 days preceding Donald Trump’s return to power in January 2025, following his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. It premiered privately at the White House on Saturday ahead of its official Kennedy Center debut, which was most notably attended by rap star Nicki Minaj. Her appearance triggered significant backlash and reportedly prompted Beyoncé to remove their triple platinum Flawless remix from streaming platforms.