Older women drive 'Melania' documentary to box office success with $7M opening weekend
Older women emerged as the driving force behind the "Melania" documentary’s strong opening weekend, Variety reported Sunday — bucking the box-office trend that is typically powered by younger male audiences.
David A. Gross, founder of Franchise Entertainment Research, told Variety that the turnout is a "rare case," noting that mainstream moviegoers are usually between the ages of 15 and 44, along with families.
"This older, female audience admires and looks up to Melania as a role model," he said, according to the report.
The film, which offers an up-close look at first lady Melania Trump’s life over the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, exceeded expectations with a $7 million opening weekend, marking the strongest documentary debut in more than a decade, according to reports.
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Ticket buyers skewed overwhelmingly female and older — 72% women and 83% over age 45, Variety reported — a rare demographic mix for modern theatrical releases.
Among female ticket buyers, most came from rural, conservative areas. Seventy-five percent were White, followed by Hispanic viewers at 11%, with Black and Asian audiences each accounting for about 4%, according to the PostTrak breakdown cited by the magazine.
The film's success stunned the Hollywood press, with The Hollywood Reporter writing Saturday that, "no one saw that coming."
"Many suggest[ed] 'Melania' was a bomb before it even opened based on empty, or nearly empty, seat maps in cinemas across the country," the report continued.
"Melania" came in third behind thrillers "Send Help" and "Iron Lung," which grossed $20 million and $18 million, respectively, per IMDb.
Variety noted those films had predominantly young male audiences, by contrast.
The "Melania" documentary was widely panned by entertainment critics as a form of "propaganda" for the Trump administration.
It received a 9% score on Rotten Tomatoes' "Tomatometer," while verified audience users on the website largely praised the film, giving it a 99% approval rating.
Fox News' Brie Stimson and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.