‘Melania’ film only sold 13% of tickets in Trump’s hometown
The Melania documentary film that releases to theaters on Friday has sold just 13 percent of tickets in President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago adjacent town of Palm Beach, Florida.
At the Palm Beach Regal Royal, just 234 of all available seats were purchased of 1770 total for the opening weekend.
Why It Matters
Palm Beach is located just a few minutes from Trump’s private club and luxury resort Mar-a-Lago.
Despite Trump previously saying tickets were selling out for his wife and First Lady Melania Trump’s newly released documentary film, sales for the theater tickets appeared to dwindle in the president’s now hometown two days before the release.
What To Know
While just 13 percent, or 234 seats of the 1770 tickets available for the opening weekend of Melania have been sold at the Palm Beach Royal, sales are currently far higher for the opening day of Friday, January 23.
For Friday, 181 of 590 available tickets were sold. That equates to 31 percent of tickets sold, far above the overall 13 percent for the entire weekend.
It is still two days away from the film’s opening day on January 30, and the film is slated to gross between $1 and $2 million.
Still, the current sales pale in contrast to prior statements by President Trump that tickets were quickly selling out.
“I’ve seen pieces of it,” Trump told reporters earlier this month when asked if he had watched the new documentary. “It’s incredible…. It’s going to be doing the premier at The Trump Kennedy Center. It’s a very hard ticket. Everybody, Wayne Gretzky and his wife, beautiful wife. Everybody wants tickets.”
The movie serves as a behind-the-scenes look into Melania Trump as she prepared to enter the White House before Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Trump previously said the film “seems to be captivating a lot of people’s attention.”
Amazon MGM Studios acquired the movie for a reported $40 million. That makes it one of the largest known licensing deals for a political documentary.
The movie is 104 minutes long and also includes Melania Trump herself as an executive producer.
The film will be available both in theaters and on the Amazon Prime streaming platform.
What People Are Saying
An Amazon spokesperson previously told Newsweek: “We are excited to share this truly unique story with our millions of customers around the world.”
Melania Trump told Fox News in December: “For the first time, global audiences are invited into theaters to witness this pivotal chapter unfold—a private, unfiltered look as I navigate family, business, and philanthropy on my remarkable journey to becoming first lady of the United States of America.”
President Donald Trump told reporters earlier this month: “I’ve seen pieces of it. It’s incredible…. It’s going to be doing the premier at The Trump Kennedy Center. It’s a very hard ticket. Everybody, Wayne Gretzky and his wife, beautiful wife. everybody wants tickets.”
What Happens Next
The film is scheduled to be in theaters on January 30.
“For the first time, global audiences are invited into theaters to witness this pivotal chapter unfold—a private, unfiltered look as I navigate family, business, and philanthropy on my remarkable journey to becoming first lady of the United States of America,” Melania Trump told Fox News in December.
