The feature-length documentary "Melania" posted another strong day at the box office Monday, hauling in an estimated $1 million in ticket sales as Amazon MGM Studios moved quickly to expand the film into hundreds of additional theaters nationwide, according to studio sources.
"Melania," directed by Brett Ratner, centers on first lady Melania Trump's experiences in the 20 days before President Donald Trump's second inauguration.
It has drawn what producers describe as a growing wave of grassroots support during its opening weekend, prompting the studio to add the documentary to more than 200 new theaters across the country.
"All of first lady Melania Trump's hard work is paying off," Marc Beckman, her longtime senior advisor and a producer on the film, told Breitbart News. "We now have one of the highest openings for a documentary film in 14 years, and we're quickly expanding into more theater houses across the country."
Beckman said the film's early success reflects both audience enthusiasm and the vision behind the project.
"It's all a testament to Melania Trump and her leadership in creating a quality product for the American people," he said.
"We're expanding to almost 200 more theaters, bringing the total domestic number to nearly 2,000 theaters nationwide," Beckman said, adding that the studio is "really psyched" by the results.
"Melania" opened strongly over the weekend, earning $2,861,818 on Friday, $2,303,524 on Saturday, and $1,996,263 on Sunday, for a haul of just over $7 million in its first three days.
Combined with Monday's $1 million haul, the documentary surpassed $8 million domestically, making it the best opening weekend for a documentary in roughly 14 years.
"Melania" has already out-grossed the entire domestic runs of five films released in 2025 that went on to receive Academy Award nominations.
"Melania" is being added to multiplexes in markets where it exceeded industry expectations during its debut, including Dallas; Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach, Florida; and Phoenix.
New and existing markets also include major metropolitan areas such as Washington, D.C.; New York City; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh; Boston; Atlanta; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Chicago; Denver; and Detroit. Additional cities slated to show the documentary include Indianapolis; Fort Lauderdale; Nashville; Portland; Salt Lake City; and Savannah, among others.
Beckman credited the film's momentum to what he described as "old-fashioned quality storytelling" driven by the first lady.
Director Brett Ratner echoed that assessment over the weekend, saying the theatrical release was Melania Trump's vision from the start.
"She said to me from day one, I want this to be very cinematic. I want it to have a theatrical release. I want it to live and play in theaters," Ratner said.
"It's very rare that documentaries get released in theaters," he added. "It's usually straight to streaming. So it was really her vision to have that and to see it through."
Despite skepticism from much of the entertainment media and Hollywood establishment, "Melania" has found a strong audience reception.
While the film currently holds a 6% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, it boasts a 99% audience score on the platform.
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