Friday marks the general release of the documentary Melania, focusing on President Donald Trump’s third wife and the former First Lady of the United States. A recent analysis by WIRED indicates that there are still plenty of seats available, except for folks near the AMC Classic Indian River 24 in Vero Beach, Florida, or the AMC Independence Commons 20 in Independence, Missouri.
Produced by Amazon MGM Studios and directed by Brett Ratner—who is known for the Rush Hour series and has faced accusations of sexual misconduct from six women—Melania features the former First Lady in various lavish settings, often seen in sunglasses. The trailer highlights close-up shots of her high-heeled shoes on surfaces like rugs, hardwood floors, and stairs, along with her signature boater hat that covers her eyes.
Both the Trump family and the production company have invested heavily in promoting the film, with reports claiming Amazon spent $40 million for the rights and another $35 million on marketing. The White House even hosted a special screening for a group of CEOs, including Apple’s Tim Cook and AMD’s Lisa Su. Trump has been promoting the film on his social media platform, Truth Social, urging followers to, "Get your tickets today – Selling out, FAST!"
Despite a general decline in U.S. box office sales, Melania’s ticket sales are particularly noteworthy. According to The Guardian, a mere one ticket had sold for the first screening at 3:10 PM at Vue’s flagship location in London by Monday, although that number climbed to 13 shortly after. Online, many commenters have shared screenshots of empty seating charts from various theaters.
Amazon MGM Studios has not responded to requests for comments. WIRED reporters have identified just two sold-out screenings out of nearly 1,400 reviewed across the U.S. After analyzing listings from 329 theaters in 64 cities highlighted in a “Best US Cities to See a Movie” ranking by BetMGM (unaffiliated with Amazon MGM Studios), WIRED found 1,398 showtimes on Fandango for Melania. Only two showings sold out: the 12:55 PM at AMC CLASSIC Indian River 24 in Vero Beach and the 1 PM at AMC Independence Commons 20 in Missouri. Both showings appear to have been offered at a 20% discount, common for earlier showtimes.
At one point on Thursday afternoon, a third showing at another Florida theater seemed to be sold out, but two front-row seats later became available upon rechecking. Meanwhile, showtimes for Melania at the Mann Plymouth Grand 15 theater in Minnesota appeared to be canceled. Located in Hennepin County, Minnesota, this theater has been subject to disturbances due to a federal immigration operation. Representatives for Mann Plymouth Grand 15 have not responded to inquiries.
It’s worth noting that more sold-out showings may exist nationwide, as WIRED only reviewed a fraction of the Fandango listings, and not all theaters may sell tickets through that site. Additionally, not every theater offers advance ticket selection, and tickets remain available until showtime. For example, as of Thursday afternoon, no tickets had sold for the 10:15 PM screening at the AMC Port Chester in Connecticut, a theater with 276 seats.
