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'Was it you, Nigel?'
'Was it you, Nigel?'
The First Lady Melania Trump has suffered a humiliating blow after just one person bought a ticket to the premiere of her documentary ‘Melania’ in London.
Ironically, in a post on Truth Social on Monday, Donald Trump wrote that Melania’s documentary was “a MUST WATCH” and that tickets are “selling out, FAST!”.
The documentary focuses on Melania’s preparations to become the First Lady once again in 2025.
Just one ticket has been sold for the first 3.10pm screening today at Vue in Islington, London, while two people have booked tickets for 6pm.
Internationalist campaign group Best for Britain joked that Nigel Farage may have bought the ticket. “Was it you, Nigel?”, they wrote in a post on Bluesky.
Tim Richards, the chief executive of Vue, told the Telegraph that he has received several complaints about the cinema chain’s decision to screen the documentary.
Richards said that UK ticket sales for the Jeff Bezos bankrolled film have been “soft” so far. Forthcoming screenings appear to be experiencing similarly modest attendances.
Amazon paid £29 million for rights to the film and is forecast to lose £50 million.
Responding to the news, internationalist campaign group Best for Britain made a quip, questioning whether Nigel Farage had bought the first premiere ticket: “Was it you, Nigel?”.
Tickets for screenings in the US are also sluggish, with one post noting that no tickets were sold to the premiere screening in Boston, and just six tickets were sold at cinema in Arizona.
Responding to the low ticket sales, X Account Save America Movement, wrote: “The Melania movie might be the biggest flop in Hollywood history.
“What does that say about Trump’s influence? America is waking up to the grift.”
The film has been cancelled in South Africa, and just one presale ticket has sold in Australia.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
Hot mic reveals prominent no-shows at 'Melania' documentary premiere
Nicole Charky-Chami
January 30, 2026
RAW STORY
Nicole Charky-Chami
January 30, 2026
RAW STORY
2
First lady Melania Trump arrives for the premiere of the documentary film "Melania" at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, recently renamed to include U.S. President Donald Trump's name, in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 29, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
A hot mic on a livestream Thursday night caught someone behind the camera naming several notable no-shows at the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's self-titled documentary screening at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
In the video, which was shared by several users on social media, a black carpet appeared empty while a voice behind the camera listed names of several Trump allies — including a number of administration officials — who did not appear at the Amazon MGM Studios film's premiere.
Kari Lake, Bret Baier, Kellyanne Conway, Riley Gaines, Kash Patel, Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, Sean Duffy and Peter Navarro were all named as missing at the event by the person behind the camera.
Ticket sales for the film have reportedly been dismal, with the London premiere reportedly drawing in only single-digit ticket sales.
"Melania" will open in 1,400 theaters Friday across the U.S. and in more than 27 other countries. Amazon dropped a reported $35 million on marketing the documentary, and social media posts have suggested that many theaters will be empty as the film rolls.
First lady Melania Trump arrives for the premiere of the documentary film "Melania" at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, recently renamed to include U.S. President Donald Trump's name, in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 29, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
A hot mic on a livestream Thursday night caught someone behind the camera naming several notable no-shows at the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's self-titled documentary screening at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
In the video, which was shared by several users on social media, a black carpet appeared empty while a voice behind the camera listed names of several Trump allies — including a number of administration officials — who did not appear at the Amazon MGM Studios film's premiere.
Kari Lake, Bret Baier, Kellyanne Conway, Riley Gaines, Kash Patel, Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, Sean Duffy and Peter Navarro were all named as missing at the event by the person behind the camera.
Ticket sales for the film have reportedly been dismal, with the London premiere reportedly drawing in only single-digit ticket sales.
"Melania" will open in 1,400 theaters Friday across the U.S. and in more than 27 other countries. Amazon dropped a reported $35 million on marketing the documentary, and social media posts have suggested that many theaters will be empty as the film rolls.
Two Trump Cabinet members bail on Melania film screening
U.S. first lady Melania Trump is reflected on bulletproof glass as she appears on stage during the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 4, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
January 29, 2026
ALTERNET
First Lady Melania Trump's eponymous film is debuting this weekend — but two of her husband's top officials are already giving excuses for not attending a viewing event.
The conservative Washington Times reported Thursday that "Melania" will be screening for a select audience at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. The First Couple will be in attendance for tonight's viewing, along with the president's Cabinet — save for two members.
"Intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard and Energy Secretary Chris Wright had previous obligations," the Washington Times reported, without details on Gabbard and Wright's prior engagements. Both officials were present at the White House for Thursday's Cabinet meeting.
According to the Daily Beast, the screening will also be attended by White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Second Lady Usha Vance. Other guests include a smattering of celebrities and public figures including Fox host Maria Bartiromo, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, rapper Waka Flocka Flame, convicted fraudster Jordan Belfort (who inspired the film The Wolf of Wall Street) along with various NFL players and UFC fighters.
Melania's film is projected to bomb at the box office, with CNN data analyst Harry Enten observing that the film is only expected to bring in $1 million to $5 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend. Enten also noted that online betting markets put strong odds at the film scoring 20 percent or less on film review site Rotten Tomatoes. This is despite Amazon paying Melania Trump $40 million for the exclusive rights to the film, and spending $35 million on advertising.
The first lady recently appeared on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) earlier this week to ring the opening bell – which is often a tradition for celebrities promoting an upcoming project. When she was greeted with a lukewarm reception, NYSE Group President Lynn Martin could be seen on video lifting her arms up to the assembled crowd of traders, encouraging them to clap harder.
Melania Trump's 'absolute stinker' of a documentary buried by reviewers
Matthew Chapman
January 30, 2026
Melania humiliated as UK premiere of her movie gets single-digit ticket sales
Travis Gettys
January 29, 2026
Matthew Chapman
January 30, 2026
RAW STORY
First lady Melania Trump looks on next to President Donald Trump while they pose on the red carpet for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 7, 2025. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
The reviews are coming in for first lady Melania Trump's documentary — and they're about as bad as could possibly be.
"Melania," bankrolled by Amazon in a controversial move that had many theorizing the movie's mere existence was a bribe to funnel millions into the Trump family's pocket, already had danger signs going into its debut, as theater after theater showed almost entirely unsold screenings, and even the movie's billionaire benefactors didn't bother to show up to the premiere.
But the handful of reporters who showed up seemed to have very similar messages: the movie is awful.
"Melania moves through the action like a listless automaton, talking constantly but saying nothing, squired from Mar-a-Lago to Trump Tower to her final destination, the White House," stated a review from The Guardian's Xan Brooks. "It’s dispiriting, it’s deadly and it’s spectacularly unrevealing. Ratner’s film plays like a gilded trash remake of Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest in which a button-eyed Cinderella points at gold baubles and designer dresses, cunningly distracting us while her husband and his cronies prepare to dismantle the Constitution and asset-strip the federal government."
Ultimately, the review concluded, "the fun’s not infectious and the guests are a nightmare, and two hours of Melania feels like pure, endless hell," giving the movie one star.
It was a similar story at The Mirror, where Mikey Smith called the project "an absolute, all-time stinker" and "a bad film made by bad people about bad people."
"You feel very keenly every moment of its 1 hour and 48 minute running time," wrote Smith, who noted that there were four people maximum at his showing, and one appeared to be another journalist. "A good two-thirds of that 108 minutes is spent watching Melania Trump leave buildings and get in a car, then get driven around in the car, then get out of the car and onto a plane, then get flown around on the plane, then sometimes get off the plane and into a different car. This is the very first thing you see in the film, and it’s repeated a good six or seven times."
"If you’re hoping Melania will have a ‘so bad it’s good’ energy, I’m afraid it does not. Melania is not Cats," Smith concluded.
The reviews are coming in for first lady Melania Trump's documentary — and they're about as bad as could possibly be.
"Melania," bankrolled by Amazon in a controversial move that had many theorizing the movie's mere existence was a bribe to funnel millions into the Trump family's pocket, already had danger signs going into its debut, as theater after theater showed almost entirely unsold screenings, and even the movie's billionaire benefactors didn't bother to show up to the premiere.
But the handful of reporters who showed up seemed to have very similar messages: the movie is awful.
"Melania moves through the action like a listless automaton, talking constantly but saying nothing, squired from Mar-a-Lago to Trump Tower to her final destination, the White House," stated a review from The Guardian's Xan Brooks. "It’s dispiriting, it’s deadly and it’s spectacularly unrevealing. Ratner’s film plays like a gilded trash remake of Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest in which a button-eyed Cinderella points at gold baubles and designer dresses, cunningly distracting us while her husband and his cronies prepare to dismantle the Constitution and asset-strip the federal government."
Ultimately, the review concluded, "the fun’s not infectious and the guests are a nightmare, and two hours of Melania feels like pure, endless hell," giving the movie one star.
It was a similar story at The Mirror, where Mikey Smith called the project "an absolute, all-time stinker" and "a bad film made by bad people about bad people."
"You feel very keenly every moment of its 1 hour and 48 minute running time," wrote Smith, who noted that there were four people maximum at his showing, and one appeared to be another journalist. "A good two-thirds of that 108 minutes is spent watching Melania Trump leave buildings and get in a car, then get driven around in the car, then get out of the car and onto a plane, then get flown around on the plane, then sometimes get off the plane and into a different car. This is the very first thing you see in the film, and it’s repeated a good six or seven times."
"If you’re hoping Melania will have a ‘so bad it’s good’ energy, I’m afraid it does not. Melania is not Cats," Smith concluded.
Melania humiliated as UK premiere of her movie gets single-digit ticket sales
Travis Gettys
January 29, 2026
ALTERNET
First lady Melania Trump speaks as she and second lady Usha Vance meet with military service members and their families at Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina on Nov. 19, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Melania Trump's eponymous documentary flopped in its London debut.
UK cinema chain Vue's will premier "Melania" at 3:10 p.m. at its flagship Islington theater in London, but so far only one person has bought a ticket and just two tickets have sold for a 6 p.m. showing – undercutting President Donald Trump's hype claims, reported LBC.
"MELANIA, the Movie, is a MUST WATCH," Trump posted Tuesday on Truth Social. "Get your tickets today — Selling out, FAST!"
In truth, according to Vue chief executive Tim Richards, UK ticket sales are "soft," and the film – for which Amazon MGM Studios paid a reported $40 million – is projected to make just $5 million during its opening weekend, and trade publication Boxoffice Pro projects less than half that haul.
"I’d be amazed if box office gets reported on this title," one industry insider told The Mirror, adding that the film’s distributors might be paying a fee to cinemas to screen the movie, an established practice known as “four-walling.”
Documentary filmmaker Stefano Da Frè, who was not involved in the film, told CNN that "data-driven" Amazon would not have invested that much expecting to lose money.
“With all their tools, all their AI, Amazon Web Services — they didn’t just come up with that number randomly,” Da Frè said. “They believe, through their metrics, that it’s worth that amount.”
A studio spokesperson backed that assertion and disputed that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos had sunk that much money on a "vanity project" for the president's wife.
“We licensed the film for one reason and one reason only — because we think customers are going to love it," the Amazon MGM Studios spokesperson said.
"Melania" will open in 1,400 theaters Friday in the U.S. and in more than 27 other countries, and Amazon spent a reported $35 million on marketing the documentary, and social media posts have suggested that many theaters will be empty as the film rolls.
First lady Melania Trump speaks as she and second lady Usha Vance meet with military service members and their families at Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina on Nov. 19, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Melania Trump's eponymous documentary flopped in its London debut.
UK cinema chain Vue's will premier "Melania" at 3:10 p.m. at its flagship Islington theater in London, but so far only one person has bought a ticket and just two tickets have sold for a 6 p.m. showing – undercutting President Donald Trump's hype claims, reported LBC.
"MELANIA, the Movie, is a MUST WATCH," Trump posted Tuesday on Truth Social. "Get your tickets today — Selling out, FAST!"
In truth, according to Vue chief executive Tim Richards, UK ticket sales are "soft," and the film – for which Amazon MGM Studios paid a reported $40 million – is projected to make just $5 million during its opening weekend, and trade publication Boxoffice Pro projects less than half that haul.
"I’d be amazed if box office gets reported on this title," one industry insider told The Mirror, adding that the film’s distributors might be paying a fee to cinemas to screen the movie, an established practice known as “four-walling.”
Documentary filmmaker Stefano Da Frè, who was not involved in the film, told CNN that "data-driven" Amazon would not have invested that much expecting to lose money.
“With all their tools, all their AI, Amazon Web Services — they didn’t just come up with that number randomly,” Da Frè said. “They believe, through their metrics, that it’s worth that amount.”
A studio spokesperson backed that assertion and disputed that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos had sunk that much money on a "vanity project" for the president's wife.
“We licensed the film for one reason and one reason only — because we think customers are going to love it," the Amazon MGM Studios spokesperson said.
"Melania" will open in 1,400 theaters Friday in the U.S. and in more than 27 other countries, and Amazon spent a reported $35 million on marketing the documentary, and social media posts have suggested that many theaters will be empty as the film rolls.
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