‘Melania’ documentary grosses over $7M in opening weekend, tops 2026 docs

"Melania: Twenty Days to History" debuted in theaters on January 30 and grossed over $7 million in its opening weekend, data from movie-finance site The Numbers shows, according to Business Insider. The film's opening made it the highest-grossing documentary of 2026 so far; by comparison, Business Insider reported that January's "Holding Liat" had earned about $28,000 as of Sunday, and 2025's "Becoming Led Zeppelin" earned roughly $10.4 million domestically.

Amazon MGM Studios paid $40 million to license the documentary and an additional docuseries for Prime Video, Business Insider reported. Brett Ratner directed the film, which follows Melania Trump in the days leading up to President Donald Trump's 2025 inauguration. An Amazon press release said the film includes "exclusive footage of critical meetings, private conversations, and never-before-seen environments." Marc Beckman, Melania's senior adviser and agent, told Business Insider in a statement: "It proves that an original idea which is executed with deliberate beauty is embraced by fans and moviegoers, regardless of political affiliation." Despite early box-office success, the documentary drew mixed-to-poor reviews and was review-bombed on Letterboxd.

Business Insider's Peter Kafka called it "dull," writing that it plays like "something akin to a wedding video" that may mainly appeal to superfans of the Trump family.

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