The debut of a new documentary about Melania Trump is off to a rocky start. The movie appears to be headed for an underwhelming opening weekend as ticket sales lag, and critics mock the project. Now, at least one country has pulled it from theaters due to outrage over President Donald Trump’s policies.
‘Melania’ film pulled from South African theaters
The new movie Melania, a documentary about the First Lady of the United States, has been pulled from all theaters in South Africa ahead of its debut, according to The Daily Beast. The Wednesday announcement by Filmfinity, the company that was locally distributing the movie in South Africa, comes after concerns were raised about how local audiences would react to the movie in light of Donald Trump’s controversial immigration policies. The concerns come as U.S. immigration enforcement agencies remain under scrutiny following the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Concern was also raised over the movie’s director, Brett Ratner, who has faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct.
The decision also comes as relations between South Africa and the United States remain strained; the Trump administration has accused South Africa of discriminating against the country’s minority white population, a charge that South African officials reject. Filmfinity’s head of sales and distribution, Thobashan Govindarajulu, did not elaborate on the company’s decision to pull the film, only stating that “based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in territory” and noting that it was “our decision” to pull the movie, not influence from outside pressure. While the movie has not been banned in South Africa, the loss of a local distributor means it will not be screened in two of the country’s major movie theater chains, as previously planned. Katie Miller, a conservative podcaster who is the wife of top Trump adviser Stephen Miller, reacted to the movie being pulled in South Africa by posting “Of course — since they are biased against white people.”
Jokes and criticism as Melania sells few tickets in the U.S.
While Melania will not be seen in South African movie theaters due to distribution issues, few people are set to watch it in the United States, apparently due to lack of interest. The movie is projected to have an opening weekend box office haul of only $2 million to $5 million dollars, a dismal performance for a film set to open on 1,500 screens this weekend. The paltry return pales in comparison to the $40 million Amazon spent to acquire the film and the additional $35 million it plans to spend to market it. UC Berkeley professor of journalism Jason Spingarn-Koff is one of many people who have questioned the amount of money invested in the film, according to Barron’s. “It’s just hard to imagine why this number is justified for Melania,” he told NPR. Across social media, multiple people have posted images demonstrating the lack of ticket sales for Melania at theaters in major markets.
Others have questioned the motives of those who invested in the movie. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who has clashed with Donald Trump and his allies in the past, called the movie about the First Lady “the $75 million bribe — I mean, documentary — that Amazon made for her.” Further exploring the Trumps’ profits, specifically noting that Melania Trump made $28 million from the movie, Kimmel joked, “Between this and her marriage, she’s probably the highest paid actress in the world.”
While Melania Trump appears to have profited significantly from the movie that documents the lead-up to her return to the White House, it does not appear that Amazon will come close to making back its money in ticket sales. It is possible that the company’s distribution of Melania will gain it favor with the Trump administration, as some have speculated. The Trump administration’s goodwill, however, does not appear to be growing for South Africa, where the movie will not be seen on movie screens at all.