I’m so excited for this documentary to finally come out this weekend! It’s been a long wait, though I’m a little worried about whether many people will actually go see it in theaters. Still, if you do head to Regal, they’re giving away a special popcorn bucket – it’s…well, let’s just say it’s nothing amazing, but hey, even Melania gets one, so there’s that!
For just $12.99, you can own a bucket featuring the poster for the movie Dune. It’s not a giant sandworm or alien creature, just a plain white bucket! It could even be reused as a bathroom trash can. In case you think this is a joke, Regal Cinemas confirmed to Gizmodo that the bucket is a real product and available for purchase.
Okay, so ever since the Barbie movie came out last July, Regal Cinemas has been selling these cool, collectible containers with all sorts of films – not just big blockbusters, but even things like concert films and documentaries. Actually, that last part is key. We’ve seen this before with things like the Andrea Bocelli concert film, which sort of straddled the line between concert and documentary. And honestly, the idea of a documentary getting this treatment isn’t new either. Plenty of music-focused films have explored band history and played their songs, so claiming this Melania documentary is the first to get a collectible container feels a little off. It’s a trend they’ve been doing for a while now.
‘Melania’ is Tracking to be One of the Biggest Bombs of the Year
Brett Ratner, the filmmaker behind the movie Hercules (released 12 years ago), is back with a new documentary called Melania. It will premiere on January 29th at the Trump-Kennedy Center and will be released in theaters immediately after. Industry tracking suggests the film might earn around $1 million during its opening weekend, which is considerably less than its estimated $40 million production cost.
This documentary tells the story of Donald Trump’s wife during the 20 days leading up to his second inauguration. Announced in January 2025, the film sparked a competitive bidding process, ultimately won by Amazon MGM Studios. They paid $40 million for both the film and a planned follow-up series – the highest amount ever paid for a documentary series without any music rights included.
Even with $3.5 million spent on TV commercials and a promotional event at the Sphere in Las Vegas, the film is predicted to be a major box office failure – and it’s only January. Since the documentary will be available on Prime Video soon, there’s little incentive for people to see it in theaters, even if they’re interested.
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The film is expected to earn around $5 million in the U.S., but reports indicate very few tickets are selling internationally. Screenings in cities and states that generally vote Democrat have struggled, while theaters in more conservative areas have reported being nearly full.
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2026-01-30 02:07