In her documentary's opening, First Lady Melania Trump declares: "Everybody wants to know" how she spends her time.
It turns out that's far from true, The Guardian found.
The newspaper sent a writer to watch Melania at the busiest movie theater in Times Square Friday, the day of its release. He joined just 12 people in the audience. And they were far from blown away.
The poor turnout was reflected at theaters across the world, prompting studio executives to revise opening weekend projections downward for the project commissioned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The billionaire spent $35 million to make the movie, and another $30 million to market it.
An AMC theater near Times Square, at least half of the 12 viewers were there for professional review purposes. Few attendees watched the film for personal interest.
Chase, one of the few civilian viewers, explained his attendance: "I just think it's really interesting to see, like, inside the life of somebody so famous. She's a private person. So I think it's interesting just to kind of see, you know, how her life really is, at least to some extent," he told The Guardian.
The 24-year-old independent voter continued: "I thought it was very good. She really portrayed things that I think the public didn't know prior about her. I found it really interesting. I would have come to watch if it was Jill Biden, whoever. I think it's just interesting to see."
Social media users shared screenshots from ticketing websites displaying empty theater schedules in Boston, Charleston, and other major cities. The financial outcome appears problematic for Amazon, though critics surmise that proximity to presidential favor may provide intangible benefits to Bezos.
Financial investment alone proved insufficient to create compelling content. Melania Trump presents as an uncomfortable onscreen subject, visibly uneasy before cameras, The Guardian reported. The documentary dedicates substantial runtime to Melania trying on clothing, with other sequences featuring Mar-a-Lago croquet scenes resembling retirement community activities.
Democrat Jim Behrle, who attended the screening anticipating entertainment value, stated: "I didn't dislike it as much as I thought I would. There was some interesting stuff in it. There were some interesting characters, and some of the footage is shot really well."
He elaborated: "There's not a lot of rising action in the film at all. I mean, there's not a lot of conflict or anything like that, but seeing some of the behind-the-scenes stuff is pretty interesting."
Behrle attended partly due to his monthly theater subscription, which provides unlimited screenings for $29. Despite moderate surprise at his tolerance for the film, he expressed reluctance to recommend it to friends and family, concluding: "It's not a gripping film."
