Melania Trump’s self-titled documentary is releasing in theaters on January 30, 2026. However, the $75 million film is already facing more issues besides low opening numbers. Latest reports suggest that the First Lady’s documentary will not be shown in the theaters in South Africa.
Thobashan Govindarajulu, the head of sales and marketing of the firm’s local distributor, Filmfinity, confirmed the same to The New York Times, saying, “Based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in [the] territory.” Filmfinity’s decision to pull the film was first reported by the South African outlet News24.
While the report of Melania’s film not being shown in South Africa is confirmed, the reason behind the same remains rather vague. Govindarajulu talked to the local news outlet News24 and mentioned that the decision was taken “given the current climate.”
Without providing any clear reason behind the move, he confirmed that they were not pressured to make this decision and simply added, “That was our decision.”
Melania Trump’s documentary has been pulled from theaters in South Africa.
According to the New York Times, “Melania” — scheduled to open worldwide on Friday and already a highly contentious film — has been pulled from theaters in the country by the local distributor, which… pic.twitter.com/D5ANuibzd3
— Variety (@Variety) January 29, 2026
The decision seems to have been taken without prior notice as earlier this week, Mark Sardi, the chief executive of Ster-Kinekor, one of South Africa’s major movie theatre chains, said that he did not have any idea about Melania’s film getting pulled.
Talking to the New York Times, he added, “Our basic position would be we’re not in the business of censorship. I expect the decision would have been a commercial one balanced with a whole lot of current issues.”
It is important to note that the move comes at a time when the relationship between America and South Africa has significantly worsened under Donald Trump’s presidency. Trump has been particularly hostile to the nation from the beginning of his second term and also claimed that the government there was “killing white people, and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them.”
It would not be surprising if South Africa decided against showing the film in theaters because of its hostile relationship with the US and how the audience might react to a film like this. While this reason had not been specified by the authorities, given the current situation between the two nations, it seems like a reasonable cause.
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However, getting the film pulled from South Africa is not the only issue that Melania is facing. The film has been reported to have extremely low openings, especially when compared to its massive $75 million dollars budget.
Directed by Brett Ratner, the film gives “unprecedented access to the 20 days leading up to the 2025 Presidential Inauguration — through the eyes of the First Lady herself.”
While Trump claimed that the tickets for the film are “selling out fast”, netizens have responded with screenshots that show empty theaters with negligible seat booking. gven the huge budget of the film, a $5 million opening weekend, as reported by Puck, seems pretty less.
Trade publication Boxoffice Pro has projected an estimate even lower than that, ranging between $1 million and $2 million. As Melania appears to be struggling both financially and politically, it would be interesting to see how the First Lady responds to this sinking ship of a film.
