Ticket pre-sales for ‘Melania’ movie reportedly sluggish nationwide. How about KC?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Pre-sales for ‘Melania’ report nationwide weakness despite presidential promotion.
- Kansas City checks show strong matinee sales but sparse evening attendance.
- Amazon spent heavily; analysts now forecast a weak opening weekend box office.
Two famous women star in documentaries opening Friday, but only one is being marketed by the President of the United States.
Paris Hilton is set to talk about her life and music career in “Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir.”
The other film, “Melania,” follows First Lady Melania Trump in the 20 days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration in 2025, inarguably a rare, behind-the-scenes look at a first lady known as a private person.
“Here we go again,” Trump says to the camera as she enters the ceremony on the arms of a camera-perfect military escort, her eyes hidden under the wide brim of that black-and-white Eric Javits hat that went viral.
“Melania” was scheduled to play concurrently Thursday at invitation-only special screenings in 21 cities, including Kansas City, New York, Boston and Los Angeles, according to CNN and other outlets.
But NPR reported Thursday those screenings have been canceled and Amazon did not release advance screeners to journalists and reviewers as most studios to do to promote a film. So good luck finding early reviews.
The film hits theaters with a lot of buzz but, to borrow the phrase that helped make Hilton a pop culture star, it’s not all “hot.”
On Wednesday, a media outlet in South Africa reported that the film’s distributor was pulling the movie from release there, possibly because of political tensions between the country and President Trump.
“MELANIA, the Movie, is a MUST WATCH,” the president exclaimed Monday in a post on X. “Get your tickets today – Selling out, FAST!”
However, early reports suggest that pre-sales of tickets are sluggish as the documentary prepares to open in nearly 1,800 theaters nationwide. Hollywood observers wonder whether crowd sizes will fall along political party lines, given how some Trump detractors on social media have made it clear they have other plans this weekend.
A check of about a half dozen theaters in all corners of the Kansas City metro — Kansas and Missouri sides — on Thursday morning found that ticket sales are strong for matinee showings Friday but sluggish for evening shows.
AMC theaters are offering 20% off matinee tickets.
At AMC Town Center 20 in Leawood, for instance, where the movie is being shown in a smaller, 34-seat theater, four showings on Friday, from the 12:45 p.m. matinee to the 9 p.m. late showing, were nearly sold out.
At the B&B Lee’s Summit 16, both shows at 1:40 p.m. and 6:40 p.m. Friday are close to selling out, but almost all the tickets for the 9:10 screening are still available.
At the AMC Dine-In Studio 28 in Olathe, only two tickets had been sold for the 9 p.m screening on Friday. All tickets were available for the 10 p.m. show at the Cinemark in Merriam.
The project on which Amazon MGM Studios reportedly spent $75 million — $40 million to acquire it, $35 million to market it — is forecast to have a dismal $5 million opening weekend, according to market research company National Research Group.
Other estimates have been gloomier, projecting a weekend haul of between $1 million and $2 million.
A select handful of people have already seen it. The Trumps hosted a viewing at the White House on Saturday. The guest list, Fox News reported, included Jeff Bezos, Erika Kirk, Saudia Arabian royalty, Mike Tyson, Tony Robbins and Tim Cook.
Guests were treated to cookies decorated with the “MELANIA” movie title and custom white popcorn boxes. They also went home with copies of her memoir.
The film’s synopsis from Amazon MGM Studios says the movie follows Trump as she “orchestrates inauguration plans, navigates the complexities of the White House transition, and moves her family back to the Nation’s Capital” and includes footage of “critical meetings” and “private conversations.”
“My new film, ‘Melania,’ provides a window into an important period for America, the 47th presidential inauguration,” she said Wednesday before ringing the bell to open the New York Stock Exchange.
“For the first time in history, people will witness the 20 days leading up to the inauguration, through the eyes of an incoming first lady.”
This is the first project for director Brett Ratner since 2014, when he directed the action movie “Hercules,” starring Dwayne Johnson. The director of the “Rush Hour” movies was accused in 2017 by six women, including actress Olivia Munn, of sexual harassment or assault. Warner Bros. cut ties with him during the scandal.
Ratner denied the allegations and was not charged with any crimes.
The Wall Street Journal revisited the scandal Wednesday under this headline: “The canceled Hollywood director spinning the Melania movie into his comeback.”
The newspaper revealed that while Amazon executives were “brainstorming” female directors for a Melania documentary, the first lady had already chosen Ratner for the job.
“The return of Ratner, 56, is one of the latest examples of a vibe shift driven by President Trump’s desire to shape culture — from the Smithsonian Institution to the Kennedy Center — in his image,” the Wall Street Journal wrote.
“It’s a continuation of his crusade to erase what the president and his constituents saw as an ideology of political correctness gone too far, and an effort to turn back the clock on the ‘cancellations’ that happened during the #MeToo era. “
The president has reportedly urged Paramount to reboot “The Rush Hour” series with Ratner at the helm.
“Melania” was expected to be shown again with a red carpet splash at the renamed Trump Kennedy Center on Thursday.
No date has been announced for when the movie will be released on Amazon Prime. But if it follows the standard theater-to-streaming-platform schedule, it could be streaming as early as February.
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