Older women power Melania documentary’s strong opening weekend box office

Older women emerged as the driving force behind the strong opening weekend of the documentary “Melania.” Variety reported Sunday – bucking the box office trend that has generally been fueled by younger male audiences.

David A. Gross, founder of Franchise Entertainment Research, told Variety that attendance was a “rare occurrence,” noting that mainstream moviegoers tend to be between the ages of 15 and 44, along with families.

“This older female audience admires and respects Melania as a role model,” the report said.

The film, which offers an intimate look at First Lady Melania Trump’s life in the 20 days before President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, exceeded expectations with a $7 million opening weekend, according to reports, as the strongest documentary in more than a decade.

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The vast majority of ticket buyers are women and seniors — 72% are women and 83% are over 45 — a rare demographic mix for modern theatrical releases, Variety reported.

Most female ticket buyers came from rural and conservative areas. Seventy-five percent of viewers were white, according to a PostTrak breakdown cited by the magazine, followed by Hispanic viewers at 11%; black and Asian viewers each accounted for about 4%.

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The movie “Melania” exceeded expectations after its release on January 30, surprising many media outlets. (iStock)

The success of the film stunned the Hollywood press Hollywood Reporter “No one saw this coming,” he wrote on Saturday.

“Many people recommend[ed] ‘Melania’ was a bomb before it even opened, based on maps of empty or nearly empty seats at theaters across the country,” the report continued.

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First Lady Melania Trump left the stage after her speech before the premiere of the movie “Melania” at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Performing Arts Center in Washington on Thursday, January 29. (Allison Robber/AP Photo)

“Melania” came in third, behind thrillers “Send Help” and “Iron Lung,” which grossed $20 million and $18 million, respectively. According to IMDb.

Variety noted that, unlike these films, there is a predominantly young male audience.

The “Melania” documentary was widely criticized by entertainment critics as a form of “propaganda” for the Trump administration.

It received a 9% score on Rotten Tomatoes’ “Tomatometer”, while verified viewers on the website largely praised the film, giving it a 99% approval rating.

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Fox News’ Brie Stimson and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.