Documentary Achieves Record Box Office Opening
Melania has made quite an impact with its $7 million opening weekend, marking the highest debut for a documentary in the last ten years. This achievement adds a rather embarrassing twist to the previous theatrical releases about Barack Obama.
Back in 2018, a documentary titled Final Year hit theaters, intending to recount Barack Obama’s foreign policy team during the last years of his presidency. Unfortunately, it fell flat, barely making a mark by screening in only 39 theaters.
The release was, uh, pretty limited, and the hope was that the buzz would help it gain traction and turn into a success. But two weeks later, it totaled a meager $262,286.
One of the highlights was, honestly, seeing just how poorly it performed…
Despite being shown in Democratic-heavy cities like Los Angeles and New York, Final Year managed to pull in only $121 per theater during its opening weekend. Out of eight theaters, only a handful were operational, and they were mostly empty.
In comparison, Melania was screened in 1,778 theaters, achieving a gross of $1,035 per theater.
Critics gave Final Year an 83 percent fresh rating, based on 105 reviews. But, somehow, this didn’t translate into box office numbers, still leaving it at just $121 per screen. Quite the discrepancy, right?
And to think about that previous film, Southside with You, which depicted Barack and Michelle’s first date. Released in Japan during the summer of 2016, it brought in a global box office total of only $6.6 million. In the U.S., it was shown in 897 theaters but failed to secure the top spot.
- It had a 70-day release period.
- It earned a 92% fresh rating with 159 reviews.
- The film gained quite a bit of free media attention.
- It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
- Importantly, it’s a feature film, not a documentary.
- It wasn’t up against waves of negative media campaigns.
Looking ahead, I can’t help but wonder what the future holds… In 2024, Trump’s revenue rose by nearly $8 million, and I think Melania could surpass Obama at the box office in 2026.
So, whose team is really winning here?
