A documentary film about First Lady Melania Trump surprised movie experts with a strong opening weekend at the box office last week. That opening weekend may have been a good start, but the film’s plunge in the second weekend box office is more bad news for Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN).
‘Melania’ Box Office Falls
Super Bowl weekend often sees the box office take a dip with more people staying at home to watch the NFL championship on Sunday.
The overall domestic box office was around $60 million for the weekend, as reported by Variety. “Send Help” led the way with $10 million, falling 47% from the prior weekend.
“Melania” grossed $2.37 million in its second weekend, falling from third place to ninth place. The film saw more theaters with showings compared to its opening weekend and as a result the per theater average fell to $431 on Friday, $521 on Saturday and $234 on Sunday, compared to averages of $1,609, $12,95 and $1,122 for the opening weekend’s Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The film has now grossed $13.35 million domestically. While this would normally be a strong showing for a documentary, it comes from a film that was bought by Amazon for $40 million and had another $35 million in marketing costs.
With movie theaters collecting around 50% of ticket revenue, the film is far from profitable for Amazon.
Not helping matters is a weak international showing. The film has grossed only $161,797 in international markets.
Amazon Still Pleased With Results
Despite a potential commercial film flop at the box office when factoring in box office against acquisition cost and marketing, Amazon is standing behind the film’s opening weekend success.
“‘Melania’s’ strong theatrical performance is a critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy, building awareness, engagement, and provides momentum ahead of the film’s eventual debut on Prime Video,” Amazon MGM’s Head of Domestic Theatrical Distribution Kevin Wilson said in a note over the weekend.
Wilson said the film’s theatrical and streaming releases are “two distinct value-creating moments.” He added that data showed strong interest in rewatching the film on Prime Video after watching the film in theaters.
“That interest is further amplified by the theatrical marketing halo we consistently see drive increased awareness and viewership once films launch on Prime Video, reinforcing long-term value across the movie’s entire lifecycle.”
Statements defending films and their box office drop are rare, according to Variety. Amazon’s defense of the film and its box office revenue comes as critics argue that the e-commerce giant may have spent a large amount of money on the film’s rights to win favor with President Donald Trump.
Photo: Evan El-Amin via Shutterstock
