Amazon’s
“Melania” earned $7 million at the domestic box office during its debut this weekend, the highest opening for a non-music documentary in more than a decade.
Documentaries are not typically major ticket sales drivers, with the majority of releases over the last 10 years opening under $5 million and grossing $10 million to $20 million worldwide, according to data from Comscore. Documentaries and concert films by popular musical artists often outperform these numbers because of their built-in fan bases.
Notably, Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” retains the record for the highest-opening political documentary with $23.9 million. The film, which opened in 2004, also holds the record for the highest domestic haul for a political documentary with $119 million.
“We’re very encouraged by the strong start and positive audience response, with early box office for ‘Melania’ exceeding our expectations,” said Kevin Wilson, head of domestic theatrical distribution at Amazon MGM Studios. “This momentum is an important first step in what we see as a long-tail lifecycle for both the film and the forthcoming docu-series, extending well beyond the theatrical window and into what we believe will be a significant run for both on our service.”
