Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has criticized the box office performance and audience ratings of the documentary 'Melania,' suggesting suspicious bulk ticket purchases influenced its debut. During his monologue on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live,' he highlighted the film's low critic scores contrasted with unusually high audience approval. The film, backed by Amazon MGM, follows Melania Trump in the lead-up to her husband's second inauguration.
Jimmy Kimmel targeted the documentary 'Melania' in his latest 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' monologue, questioning its $7 million domestic opening weekend gross. While this marks a solid start for a documentary, Kimmel noted it falls short for a project Amazon acquired for $40 million and promoted with an additional $35 million in marketing. He referenced reports indicating blocks of tickets were bought in bulk and distributed to Republican activists and senior citizens' homes.
Kimmel humorously imagined the scenario: “Imagine those poor senior citizens. ‘Good morning, Mrs. Greenwald. Here are your heart pills and here are your liver pills. And here’s a pair of tickets to ‘Melania.’” He also poked fun at a group of attendees dubbed the 'Church Ladies,' describing them as looking like 'redacted documents from the Epstein files' and deeming the situation 'very sus.'
The host drew attention to the film's reviews, with critics giving it a 5% score on Rotten Tomatoes—1% lower than 'Gigli'—while audiences rated it 99% positive, surpassing 'The Godfather' by 1%. Kimmel quipped, “I’m sure Donald J. Corleone had nothing to do with that at all,” and called for an investigation: “Send in Tulsi Gabbard and the FBI! Seize the ticket machines, the popcorn buckets, the box office receipts, at every multiplex in America!”
PostTrak data shows the audience was 72% female and 83% over age 45, with nearly 75% white ticket buyers. The film performed strongest in Republican-leaning cities like Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, and West Palm Beach, rather than traditional markets such as Los Angeles and New York. Kimmel has previously labeled 'Melania' a '$75 million bribe' and its debut the largest for a non-musical vanity project in the past decade.
