Regal offers $12.99 'Melania' popcorn bucket as documentary tracks toward box-office bomb

Regal will sell a $12.99 popcorn bucket for the new documentary Melania, the chain confirmed to Gizmodo, as the film premieres Jan. 29 at the Trump-Kennedy Center and opens in theaters that weekend. MovieWeb described the bucket as a plain white container printed with the film’s poster and called it “bland and uninspired.” Regal’s senior communications manager Kevan Karr told Gizmodo the bucket is real and available for anyone who wants one, and noted Regal has offered collectible movie-themed containers since the release of Barbie in 2023.

Directed by Brett Ratner in his first film since Hercules 12 years ago, Melania follows Melania Trump in the 20 days before Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration. The documentary was announced in January 2025 and Amazon MGM Studios won a bidding war to license the film and develop a subsequent series, MovieWeb reported.

Box Office Pro is tracking the documentary to open around $1 million on its first weekend against a reported $40 million budget, figures MovieWeb said would put Melania on track to be one of the biggest box-office bombs of the year. MovieWeb also reported a reported $3.5 million TV ad spend, a promotion at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and an estimate of up to $5 million domestically; it added that many international screenings have reportedly sold few or no tickets while some conservative U.S.

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