The new documentary Melania is breaking expectations: strong audience turnout, exceptional viewer scores, and surprising box office strength in conservative markets, all while mainstream critics largely dismiss it. This piece summarizes reactions from a press screening, highlights the film’s opening numbers and audience feedback, and notes the disconnect between critics and ordinary moviegoers. It also lays out how this reception undercuts the predictable media narrative and points to cultural momentum that few anticipated. The results so far underline a clear appetite for this kind of film and a lesson about where influence really comes from.
A colleague attended a Los Angeles-area screening and came away impressed by the film’s intimate access and the moments that reveal private family dynamics. He described it as a “fascinating look behind the scenes in the corridors of power — something that for a political junkie like me was ambrosia.” That kind of access is rare and it gives viewers material most outlets would have ignored or spun differently.
One standout exchange captured the light touch that humanizes the people on screen and disarms critics. “It was her movie, and she shone, but some of my favorite moments featured Donald and their son, Barron. At one point, when someone is detailing a long list of things the president has to do during that day, he quipped (paraphrasing, because there was no recording allowed), “And then I Make America Great Again?”” That line landed with the audience and offered a glimpse of the family chemistry the film emphasizes.
The screening also underscored a powerful visual contrast that resonated with attendees: the arrival of the Trumps juxtaposed with the departing president. The reviewer wrote that he was “struck by how powerful the moment was of them coming in and Joe Biden leaving, seemingly barely able to walk, and thankfully gone, so he could no longer harm America.” That reaction reflects not just cinematic technique but a political reading the crowd clearly embraced.
Audience response has translated into real box office momentum, particularly in Sun Belt and Midwestern cities rather than the usual coastal strongholds. Reports indicate the movie is expected to pull in $8.1 million on opening, putting it on track to be the best documentary debut in a decade. Markets like Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Houston and several Florida cities are driving ticket sales, with some theaters showing surprisingly high per-location grosses.
Turnout skews heavily toward older women and looks a lot like the profile of faith-based hits, which are known for reliable, committed audiences. The exit polling data shows a 72% female turnout and 72% over age 55, a demographic that still shows up for movies that resonate with their values. These are the voters and consumers who often set trends beyond what coastal critics expect.
More striking is how viewers are rating the film compared to critics. The exit scores were “quite royal with an A CinemaScore, 5 stars on Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak, and get this — an 89% definite recommend; unheard for any movie. If a movie is in the 70 percentile range, that’s outstanding. [….]” Audience scores on popular aggregators are astronomically higher than the critical consensus. The viewer rating on Rotten Tomatoes sits near 99%, while critics have graded the movie at 6% — a gulf that speaks to deep cultural and media fragmentation.
[B]ut the exit scores are quite royal with an A CinemaScore, 5 stars on Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak, and get this — an 89% definite recommend; unheard for any movie. If a movie is in the 70 percentile range, that’s outstanding. [….]
The turnout here is almost like that of a faith-based movie: 72% women, with 72% over 55. Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is 99% while critics have based the movie at 6%. Melania is playing best in the South (12% over the norm) and South Central with the Cinemark Palace 21 in Boca Raton, FL the pic’s current highest grossing location with over $10K. Pic’s top grossing markets are Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta, West Palm Beach, Fort Myers, Miami, Minnesota, Nashville, Jackson, MI; St. Louis, Las Vegas, Cleveland — the list goes on…no NYC or LA in this bunch.
That gap between audiences and critics isn’t accidental; it’s rooted in different expectations and agendas. Critics often evaluate on ideology and trend-setting criteria, while everyday moviegoers respond to storytelling, access, and feeling represented. When the public rejects the chorus of negativity, that rejection can become its own kind of story.
There’s also the small but meaningful factor of perceived pushback from establishment outlets and institutions. Attempts to minimize exposure or dismiss the film may have inadvertently driven curiosity and attendance. People who distrust legacy reviewers often take recommendations from community and peer networks instead, which seems to be playing out here.
The left will have to contend with a film that is performing well where it counts: with voters and ticket buyers. As the numbers and recommendations keep rolling in, the larger lesson is clear — cultural influence still flows from the ground up, and dismissal from the coasts might not slow a movie that connects with its audience.
What a relief and about time there is again integrity and decency within the White House again! How horrible it was to watch the Biden’s drag it down into the human waste pit sewer with not only a total fraud criminal/traitor Joe Biden implanted in it but his nasty serpentine witch so called doctor wife running her mouth off about this or that and then watching the notorious Hunter Lap-Top Fame Crack Head Son leaving drug stashes around the place and then having the gall to sit in on highly secure Situation Room meetings and briefings at the White House, even many of the Auto-pen pardons!!!
This difference for a wonderful change is like night and day!!!
Imagine the conundrum faced by Sillywood moguls if they were faced doing something similar about BJ and the Chappaqua Harpy.
Hehehehe dah!