Melania Trump’s self-titled documentary released in theaters today

Melania Trump’s new, self-titled documentary is now in theaters.

The Trumps walked the red carpet and attended a screening of Melania at the newly renamed Trump Kennedy Center on Thursday. Addressing the audience before the film’s screening, the first lady emphasized the importance of “purposeful storytelling.”

“You are part of this journey now. Our story will live on for generations. Forever. Creating a film and launching a global marketing campaign is not [an] easy feat,” the first lady said, before thanking President Trump. “I would like to thank my husband, America’s director, Donald Trump. Thank you for providing our family with a life filled with experiences that only one could imagine.”

The film’s wide release comes after the first lady unveiled the project at an intimate White House screening attended by about 70 guests last weekend. She later referred to the screening as a “historic” moment that left her “deeply humbled.”

“I am deeply humbled to have been surrounded by an inspiring room of friends, family, and cultural iconoclasts at the White House last night,” she wrote on social media, alongside an image of herself standing at a podium. “Each of these individuals each brought their unique vision to the world, making a lasting impression.”

The first lady added: “Our personal stories endure time and serve as a reminder of our mutual obligation to one another.  It was an honor to present my new film, MELANIA, ahead of its global launch.”

Yahoo rounded up key details from the film, what it took to make it and how it’s projected to perform at the box office. Here’s what to know.

What is Melania about?

Melania offers a behind-the-scenes look at the first lady’s life in the 20 days leading up to President Trump’s second inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025.

The Amazon MGM Studios film was directed by Brett Ratner, who famously helmed the Rush Hour film series and served as an executive producer on The Revenant and Prison Break. Ratner made headlines nearly 10 years ago, after some actresses accused him of sexual assault and harassment. He has denied those claims.

Read more from USA Today: ‘I’m an immigrant.’ Melania Trump talks role, legacy at movie premiere

Will Melania be available to watch in theaters?

Yes, Melania made its theatrical debut on Jan. 30. The film, which has a runtime of 104 minutes, reportedly opened in 1,400 movie theaters and will be screened in 27 countries, according to Puck. The film also played concurrently at 21 invitation-only screenings across the country on Thursday, according to celebrity.land.

The wide release deal came to fruition after Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, agreed to distribute the film after a dinner at Mar-a-Lago with the Trumps, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Was there really a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign for Melania?

Yes, the Melania marketing team spent $35 million to market the documentary, celebrity.land reported. Marketing reportedly consisted of ads featuring the first lady on billboards, on television, in subway stations and on public buses.

A black-and-white trailer for the documentary was also projected onto the exterior of the Sphere in Las Vegas, which is recognized for its massive, 360-degree screen.

The $35 million spent on promotional materials for the movie is in addition to the $40 million deal that Melania Trump struck with Amazon MGM Studios. As an executive producer on the project, she retained full editorial control and has been deeply involved throughout the process.

“She wanted to creative-direct this film, this concept,” Marc Beckman, Trump’s senior adviser and agent, told One America News. “She carries it all the way through. The production, the postproduction, all of the editing, the ad campaign that is international now in over 30 countries. She created the television spots, the trailer, [selected] the music. All of this is through her lens.”

Who attended the White House screening of Melania?

Last Saturday, the Trumps held an exclusive premiere screening of Melania at the White House. The black-tie event and screening, according to the Hollywood Reporter, was attended by about 70 guests, including the first lady’s son, Barron Trump, Queen Rania of Jordan, Mike Tyson, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, designer Adam Lippes and fashion photographer Ellen von Unwerth, who shot the film’s poster. Apple CEO Tim Cook was also there — a decision that he has since received backlash for.

Guests at the private screening were treated to popcorn in Melania-branded buckets, white cake pops, black-and-white macarons, a cereal box featuring the film’s poster and white sugar cookies with “Melania” written in black frosting.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed the event on X, writing: “Today DHS assassinated a VA nurse in the street, Bondi is attempting to extort voter files, and half the country is bracing on the eve of a potentially crippling ice storm with FEMA gutted. So what is the President up to? Having a movie night at the White House. He’s unfit.”

How is Melania expected to perform at the box office?

While major outlets have yet to review the documentary, the film is reportedly projected to make $5 million on its opening weekend, according to Puck, citing forecasting data from the National Research Group (NRG).

“$5 million would actually be a pretty good opening number for a documentary in this theatrical climate,” Puck writer Matthew Belloni wrote.

Newsweek reported that the estimated $5 million for Melania’s opening weekend is more than double that of The Apprentice, the Sebastian Stan-led film about President Trump, which earned less than $2 million during its 2024 opening weekend. The total gross for The Apprentice was just $5 million.

How are Melania ticket sales?

President Trump claimed that tickets to Melania screenings were “Selling out, FAST!” in an Instagram post on Monday. But box office projections seem to suggest otherwise, according to Forbes.

The AMC theaters website shows that a small number of tickets have been sold in major cities like Boston, Los Angeles and New York. Some Canadian theaters have sold a few Melania tickets as well.

Why won’t Melania screen in South Africa?

The South Africa distributor for Melania announced on Wednesday that the film had been pulled from local theaters. Thobashan Govindarajulu, the head of sales and marketing for the distributor, Filmfinity, did not disclose why the film would no longer be screening there.

“Based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in territory,” Govindarajulu told South African outlet News24. The decision, he added, was their own.