Amazon MGM’s $75 million documentary about the first lady made $7 million on its opening weekend, eliciting both gloating headlines and skepticism. Many have already touted Melania, which traces the first lady’s activities in the days leading up to her husband’s 2025 inauguration, as a success.
But according to box-office expert and former IndieWire Editor Tom Brueggemann, there are signs of “fake ticket sales” in order to inflate the earnings associated with the documentary. He raised the possibility that tickets were bought in bulk and handed out to audiences—or not handed out at all.
These allegations were made in Brueggemann’s Substack and reported on by Puck writer Matthew Belloni in his newsletter about Hollywood and power.
Belloni says that Amazon and cinema groups AMC and Regal told him that they “did not experience unusual block purchases of tickets“ for the film. “The theater chains might not necessarily know, of course,” Belloni reported. “And veteran box office tracker Tom Brueggemann noted on his Substack that ‘industry sources say there were signs that blocks of tickets were purchased for the weekend, then distributed to senior citizen homes, Republican activists, other interested parties for free to help boost audiences.’“
Brueggemann dissected box-office sales for Melania, noting an uptick in ticket purchases last Wednesday, two days before the film was set to release in theaters. Prior to its release, Melania Trump’s project was expected to perform abysmally in cinemas worldwide.
According to Brueggemann, there was “some outside group ticket buying” that helped elevate the film’s performance. He caveated that the “documentation” on these claims is “sketchy.”
“But industry sources say there were signs that blocs of tickets were purchased for the weekend, then distributed to senior citizen homes, Republican activists, other interested parties for free to help boost audiences,” he continued, adding that we may “never know.”
David_R_Martin_II on
Well, duh.
Since last week, we’ve seen people report the same blocks of seats being purchased in multiple showings, despite the theaters otherwise being sparsely populated.
reelclerk on
Bulk buys then handed out to mall walkers.
Tobias---Funke on
Like they do with books ?!
TheSilkyBat on
Who cares about some cheap hooker?
LateMajor8775 on
If you buy 4547 tickets, you’ll get to join Donny for a Happy Meal at Mar o Lago
FrogVolence on
May be fake, but I saw someone post on instagram they were being paid $50 every viewing to watch this movie and ngl, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually true and they’re paying people to watch it just so it inflates views
knowledgeable_diablo on
Really? The worst film made, about a grifter, uses grifting tactics to boost the self esteem of the thinnest skinned person on earth.
Distinct-Pie7647 on
I’d probably sit there for $50. Some headphones and I could watch whatever on phone for over $25 a hour. Take your partner and get $100.
Sansui70 on
They cooked the books on this pos waste
of time. shocking!
PatienceStrange9444 on
Drake’s going to sue
Rainbow4Bronte on
Great. It’s probably our taxpayer money somehow.
M086 on
It’s what conservatives tend to do with their books. PACs buy a Sean Hannity, or whoever book of bullshit. Boost the sales to get on best sellers lists and then just give them away at GOP conventions.
8JHF8 on
$40 million budget, $35 million „marketing“ = $28 million ads + $7 million tickets
HeadPaleontologist40 on
I mean who really wants to pay and see this garbage? I don’t even think MAGA is interested.
ZaireekaFuzz on
It’s just the exact same strategy used for bulk buying books by Rush Limbaugh or Bill O’Reilly to land them on best-seller lists on release week.
namotous on
I don’t really care about her movie, do you?
jongleur on
I was looking at showings of the movie at a local multiplex. The movie was screening in the smallest theater they had, it would cost less than $500 to buy out all the seats, although the screenings I looked at were about 80% full.
For wealthy supporters, $500 is a drop in the bucket.
Moooooooola on
The movie title should have been “The Whore Who Loved Me“.
No_Vast6645 on
Get that Nick Shirley guy to investigate this fraud.
givemeastocktip on
That’s a shocker
TheDudeFromTheStory on
It’s ICE agents, buying seats because they have intelligence from the highest and best sources that there could be illegal immigrants in these particular.
Thank you for your attention to this matter!
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Amazon MGM’s $75 million documentary about the first lady made $7 million on its opening weekend, eliciting both gloating headlines and skepticism. Many have already touted Melania, which traces the first lady’s activities in the days leading up to her husband’s 2025 inauguration, as a success.
But according to box-office expert and former IndieWire Editor Tom Brueggemann, there are signs of “fake ticket sales” in order to inflate the earnings associated with the documentary. He raised the possibility that tickets were bought in bulk and handed out to audiences—or not handed out at all.
These allegations were made in Brueggemann’s Substack and reported on by Puck writer Matthew Belloni in his newsletter about Hollywood and power.
Belloni says that Amazon and cinema groups AMC and Regal told him that they “did not experience unusual block purchases of tickets“ for the film. “The theater chains might not necessarily know, of course,” Belloni reported. “And veteran box office tracker Tom Brueggemann noted on his Substack that ‘industry sources say there were signs that blocks of tickets were purchased for the weekend, then distributed to senior citizen homes, Republican activists, other interested parties for free to help boost audiences.’“
Brueggemann dissected box-office sales for Melania, noting an uptick in ticket purchases last Wednesday, two days before the film was set to release in theaters. Prior to its release, Melania Trump’s project was expected to perform abysmally in cinemas worldwide.
According to Brueggemann, there was “some outside group ticket buying” that helped elevate the film’s performance. He caveated that the “documentation” on these claims is “sketchy.”
“But industry sources say there were signs that blocs of tickets were purchased for the weekend, then distributed to senior citizen homes, Republican activists, other interested parties for free to help boost audiences,” he continued, adding that we may “never know.”
Well, duh.
Since last week, we’ve seen people report the same blocks of seats being purchased in multiple showings, despite the theaters otherwise being sparsely populated.
Bulk buys then handed out to mall walkers.
Like they do with books ?!
Who cares about some cheap hooker?
If you buy 4547 tickets, you’ll get to join Donny for a Happy Meal at Mar o Lago
May be fake, but I saw someone post on instagram they were being paid $50 every viewing to watch this movie and ngl, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually true and they’re paying people to watch it just so it inflates views
Really? The worst film made, about a grifter, uses grifting tactics to boost the self esteem of the thinnest skinned person on earth.
I’d probably sit there for $50. Some headphones and I could watch whatever on phone for over $25 a hour. Take your partner and get $100.
They cooked the books on this pos waste
of time. shocking!
Drake’s going to sue
Great. It’s probably our taxpayer money somehow.
It’s what conservatives tend to do with their books. PACs buy a Sean Hannity, or whoever book of bullshit. Boost the sales to get on best sellers lists and then just give them away at GOP conventions.
$40 million budget, $35 million „marketing“ = $28 million ads + $7 million tickets
I mean who really wants to pay and see this garbage? I don’t even think MAGA is interested.
It’s just the exact same strategy used for bulk buying books by Rush Limbaugh or Bill O’Reilly to land them on best-seller lists on release week.
I don’t really care about her movie, do you?
I was looking at showings of the movie at a local multiplex. The movie was screening in the smallest theater they had, it would cost less than $500 to buy out all the seats, although the screenings I looked at were about 80% full.
For wealthy supporters, $500 is a drop in the bucket.
The movie title should have been “The Whore Who Loved Me“.
Get that Nick Shirley guy to investigate this fraud.
That’s a shocker
It’s ICE agents, buying seats because they have intelligence from the highest and best sources that there could be illegal immigrants in these particular.
Thank you for your attention to this matter!