MELANIA Earns $7.04 Million in Opening Weekend Box Office

"(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) After a dismal pre-opening projection, and then a much sunnier mid-weekend forecast, MELANIA's opening weekend box office topped the latter, but fell short of the former. Industry reports out Sunday reveal that the new documentary about First Lady Melania Trump pulled in $7.04 million over the weekend while playing in 1,778 North American theaters. That figure is well ahead of the $3-5 million which was initially projected earlier in the week,"

"As of Saturday afternoon, MELANIA was projected to finish in third place over the weekend with $8.1 million in ticket sales a figure which caught industry observers off guard. No one saw that coming, with many suggesting Melania was a bomb before it even opened based on empty, or nearly empty, seat maps in cinemas across the country, The Hollywood Observer's Pamela McClintock wrote."

"But the final total of just above $7 million will reinforce the idea among some critics that MELANIA should ultimately go down as a box office bomb. Amazon plunked down $40 million to make MELANIA (with at least $28 million going to the first lady herself), and $35 million to market it. The film was almost universally panned by critics, but received high audience response scores on several websites."

MELANIA grossed $7.04 million over its opening weekend in 1,778 North American theaters. That exceeded earlier projections of $3-5 million but fell short of a later $8.1 million projection. Projections rose after better-than-expected Friday and early Saturday returns, but final totals moved expectations back toward disappointment. Amazon spent $40 million to produce MELANIA, paying at least $28 million to Melania Trump, and spent $35 million on marketing. Critics mostly panned the film. Audience response scores were high on several websites, although many Rotten Tomatoes user reviews appear to originate from brand new accounts.

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