Melania Trump’s Amazon film is experiencing low ticket sales at some theaters just days before its release.
In 2026, a film featuring Melania Trump is certainly unexpected for many. However, the anticipation surrounding her Amazon MGM Studios documentary may not be as high as one would think. A user on X shared an image of empty seats available for purchase at a theater showing Melania’s upcoming film, titled MELANIA.
According to Puck News, the film is scheduled to premiere in ‘at least 1,400 theaters nationwide and in more than 27 countries’ this weekend (January 30).
Despite Donald Trump’s assertion on January 27 that the film is ‘selling out, FAST,’ another social media user displayed a screenshot of a theater in the metro-Jacksonville area revealing: “Not a single ticket sold for the opening night 9:55pm showing of Melania at the busiest movie theater in the metro-Jacksonville area.”
Another user provided a similar screenshot from a different theater, also showing no ticket sales. The caption read: “Question for movie people: If nobody buys a ticket for a screening, do they still play the movie.”
Not a single ticket sold for the opening night 9:55pm showing of Melania at the busiest movie theater in the metro-Jacksonville area. pic.twitter.com/NZz7T7PkwS
— Travis Akers 🇺🇸 (@travisakers) January 27, 2026
This raises the question of what theaters do if no tickets are sold for a film.
Yes we let it play, UNLESS we can replace it with something that is selling.
For example – SpongeBob sells out and clearly is in high demand, after getting approval we can swap out.
However if a studio mandated that the film has a set schedule (specifically opening weekend), it…
— Sƿɿძ૯ylÉ¿f૯  (@SpideylifeOne) January 28, 2026
One X user explained: “Yes we let it play, UNLESS we can replace it with something that is selling.
“For example – SpongeBob sells out and clearly is in high demand, after getting approval we can swap out.
“However, if a studio mandated that the film has a set schedule (specifically opening weekend), it will ride.”
Discussion on this topic also surfaced on Reddit, where former theater employees shared their experiences in the r/NoStupidQuestions forum.
One user noted: “When I worked at a theater they would play any movie that was on in the middle of the day but if it was the end of the night they’d let it go 15 minutes then shut er down. They would sometimes turn the lamp off on the projector to save the bulb until someone called up to the projectionist that the show was going on.”
Another added: “I worked at a cinema and what they did was start the movie and let it play for twenty minutes, so if anyone showed up to buy last-minute tickets they would still be able to see it. If no one came, they shut it off. On a related note, those were my favorite auditoriums to clean.”
If ticket sales for Melania continue to falter, Amazon may not be too thrilled.
The company reportedly invested $40 million in the documentary, with an additional $35 million to distribute it to 27 other countries and host a premiere at the Kennedy Center.
Meanwhile, competitors like Netflix and Paramount Pictures might be quite content with this scenario.