Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Box Office: “Melania” Movie Adds 225 Theaters Despite Dropping 70% from Last Week — Less Than $900K Friday

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Whatever’s going on with the “Melania” movie, it ain’t kosher.

Amazon/MGM added 225 theaters last night, yet the Friday take was 70% down from last Friday.

I’m not a business genius like Jeff Bezos, but does that sound like a good idea?

Meanwhile, just checking theaters Trump bastions like Charlestown, West Virgina and Des Moines, Iowa brings up empty shows after shows.

Something is definitely off.

For what reason would Amazon/MGM would increase the number of theaters with no advance sales? Particularly with terrible weather today — which would discourage trips to movie theaters — and the Super Bowl on Sunday?

This is what’s on today in all those places. Theater after theater is empty.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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