MELANIA FILM TIPPED FOR RAZZIE AWARDS
First lady Melania Trump’s recently released documentary Melania could find itself up for one of Hollywood’s least‑coveted awards, according to a Gold Derby report.
“We are tracking Melania—that should be a shoo-in,” Maureen Murphy, co-founder of the Razzies—or the Golden Raspberry Awards—told Gold Derby.
Melania drew strong opening‑weekend ticket sales but has been widely panned by critics, creating a high‑profile clash between box office momentum and critical reception.
The film is also a major corporate bet: Amazon MGM Studios spent a reported $40 million to acquire the movie and $35 million on marketing, making it the most expensive documentary ever made, Newsweek reported previously.
“We have precedents of documentaries being nominated and/or winning in the following categories: picture, actor, actress, supporting actress, supporting actor, director, and screen combo,” Murphy told Gold Derby.
“Melania appears to qualify for most of the categories listed above,” she said, though Murphy added: “We haven’t yet seen the movie — we hear [theaters are] very crowded. So we might need to wait for ‘free’ Prime.”
Directed by Brett Ratner, who returned to filmmaking for the first time since 2017 amid sexual assault allegations he denies, Melania opened in 1,778 U.S. theaters on January 30 and chronicles the 20 days in January 2025 leading into Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
The movie posted an estimated $7 million opening weekend, exceeding projections of $3 million to $5 million, marking the best documentary debut aside concert films in 14 years, Newsweek previously reported.
Donald Trump promoted the film as “a must watch,” and the Trumps hosted a Kennedy Center premiere attended by Cabinet members and lawmakers ahead of release.
While audiences gave Melania a 99 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter, critics were sharply negative, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it “an unabashed, fly‑on‑the‑gilded‑wall fawn job” and describing it as “expensive propaganda.”
Newsweek reported that the film’s Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 99 percent contrasted with a critics’ Tomatometer of five percent at the time of reporting, prompting questions about possible manipulation.
Debunk.org, a disinformation watchdog, told Newsweek it found “something suspicious,” citing a sample of more than 220 user comments with 97 percent positive and many accounts posting a single review. The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) also flagged “unusual voting activity” on the title’s reviews.
Versant, parent company of Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango, told Newsweek there was “NO bot manipulation” and said all Popcornmeter reviews are verified paid ticket buyers, with both automated and staff moderation.
Gold Derby’s reporting suggests Melania could feature prominently when the Golden Raspberry Awards announce their 2027 nominations.
Update, 02/06/2025, 6:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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2026-02-06T10:53:42Z
