The Melania Trump documentary, despite generating a media frenzy, failed to make an impact on UK box offices, opening at a disappointing 29th place. Brett Ratner's film, which cost a reported $75 million, only managed to gross £32,974 from 155 cinemas, a far cry from its projected disaster status. The film's performance in the US was also underwhelming, grossing $2.9 million on its opening day, but still falling short of expectations. The real surprise came from an independent horror film, Iron Lung, made by YouTuber Mark Fischbach, which beat Melania at the box office. Inspired by a 2022 horror game, Iron Lung has already made $21 million, seven times its budget, and reached the 4th spot in the UK box office. The week's top film was Chloé Zhao's Oscar-nominated weepie, Hamnet, which brought in £1.4 million. Melania, which follows Melania Trump's 20 days leading up to her husband's second inauguration in January 2025, has received largely negative reviews, with a mere 10% score on one platform. However, viewers on another site gave it a 99% score, possibly in support of Trump. Critics argue that Melania is more of a staged performance than a documentary, with scenes composed with deliberate precision, blurring the lines between reality TV and fiction.
