The Melania Trump documentary, despite generating a media frenzy, failed to make a splash at the UK box office, opening at a disappointing 29th place. Brett Ratner's film, which cost a reported $75 million, only managed to gross £32,974 from 155 cinemas, a far cry from its ambitious budget. The film's performance in the US was also underwhelming, grossing $2.9 million on its opening day, but still falling short of expectations. It was ultimately outperformed by the independently financed horror film Iron Lung, which has made seven times its budget. The week's top film was Chloé Zhao's Hamnet, an Oscar-nominated weepie, while Melania struggled to find an audience, with reviews largely negative and a low 10% rating on one platform. However, viewers on another site gave it a 99% score, possibly in support of Trump. Critics argue that Melania is more of a staged performance than a documentary, with scenes composed with deliberate precision, blurring the lines between reality TV and fiction.
