According to its audience reviews, Melania is the kind of documentary that brings theaters to their feet. Viewers describe sold-out screenings, erupting applause, and standing ovations. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 99% audience score.
Critics saw something else. So did journalists who attended opening weekend screenings.
The gap between those accounts is where this story begins.
The Theater Erupted
A verified reviewer named Jenn gave the film five stars. “A fantastic flick,” she wrote. “Our theater was sold out and erupted in applause and cheers at the end of the show.”
Another verified reviewer, Daryl S, reported the same thing. “Excellent documentary! The audience I was with gave it a standing ovation.”
Two separate theaters. Both sold out. Both erupting in applause.
Meanwhile, a Guardian journalist in the U.K. reported being the only person in his Friday morning screening. An analysis of nearly 1,400 Fandango screenings found the film had sold out at exactly two theaters nationwide before opening day — one in Vero Beach, Florida, and one in Independence, Missouri.
Jenn and Daryl S must have gotten lucky.
The Children of the World
A reviewer in Texas wrote: “If your eyes and ears are open you will understand this epic movie! Children all over the world thank you, Melania and President Trump!”
The film is about outfit selection and seating charts for the presidential inauguration. It runs 1 hour and 44 minutes. One can’t help but wonder what children, specifically, are thanking the First Lady for this documentary, and whether they’ve actually seen it, and if so, why.
The Media Refuses to Acknowledge
Kevin C gave the documentary four stars. He described it as “exactly what I expected.”
“A view of the FLOTUS that the network media and national publications refuse to acknowledge,” he wrote.
By the time Kevin C posted this review, 11 national publications had already reviewed the film on Metacritic. They gave it an average score of 4 out of 100. They acknowledged it. They just didn’t like it.
Not a Political Movie
“Not a political movie!” a reviewer named Tony insisted.
He went on to say he’d like to see “all future First Ladies or First Men do the same” and that “regardless of political affiliation everyone can enjoy watching such a rare look.”
The film was produced during her husband’s presidency and released in theaters on January 30, 2026 — roughly a year after Donald Trump’s January 20, 2025 second inauguration.
The First Lady herself hosted a White House screening with 70 guests. But sure — not political.
She Can Wear a Potatoes Sack
A reviewer named Patty wrote: “She can wear a potatoes sack and still look beautiful. Grace and Beauty and intelligence.”
She added: “All nay sayers are jealous. Well deserve recognition finally!”
It’s unclear whether Patty has ever seen the First Lady wear a potatoes sack, or whether this was a hypothetical scenario meant to illustrate the First Lady’s beauty transcending fabric quality. Either way, the nay sayers have been well deserved.
The Numbers
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds an 11% Tomatometer from 16 critic reviews and a 99% Popcornmeter from over 250 verified audience ratings.
On Metacritic, critics gave it a 4 out of 100.
Industry tracking ahead of its release projected that the documentary could gross up to $8.3 million in its opening weekend, a figure that would make it the strongest opening for a documentary in roughly a decade.
As of this writing, the audience score remains at 99%. The theaters are still erupting.
