First lady Melania Trump’s upcoming documentary Melania is being pulled from theaters in South Africa.
Melania had been scheduled for local distribution in South Africa by Filmfinity and for release across major cinemas in the country. Issues were flagged to Filmfinity about the release, which led to the decision to nix it on Wednesday, according to a new report from Meidas News.
“Based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in territory,” Thobashan Govindarajulu, Filmfinity’s head of sales and distribution, told the New York Times. Govindarajulu did not give a reason for the decision.
The film passed the country’s standard classification and regulatory approval processes according to the report, and secured bookings with Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro, South Africa’s two major movie theater chains.
Meidas News reports that concerns were raised about how the documentary, slated for a U.S. theatrical release on Jan. 30, would be received by viewers, given the Trump administration’s increasingly harsh immigration tactics.
The movie’s release comes after federal immigration agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis just this month, 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti and 37-year-old Minnesota mother Renee Nicole Good. Their killings have sparked outrage in the Twin Cities and widespread protests against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Additional consideration was given to the Melania movie’s relation to a powerful political figure, given South Africa’s fraught history with propaganda and the use of media to create certain political perceptions, particularly during apartheid. Industry insiders told Meidas News that local audiences in the country are particularly sensitive to media that highlights power and representation.
Another issue reportedly raised with South African distributors of the movie was the director of Melania, Brett Ratner. In 2017, multiple women came forward with accusations of sexual assault against Ratner. Ratner has denied any wrongdoing.
The movie is not being banned in the country and is available through other channels in South Africa.
The Daily Beast reached out to representatives for Melania for comment.
The second Trump administration has already had several notable interactions regarding South Africa. Before his public falling out with former DOGE boss Elon Musk, Trump allowed for dozens of white South Africans to claim refugee status in the U.S. after Musk, a South African citizen, complained that they were being persecuted.
Trump has railed against the country, claiming its government is “killing white people, and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them.”
Billionaire Jeff Bezos, who cozied up to Trump at his second inauguration, bought the rights to the film through his Amazon MGM Studios for $40 million and has reportedly spent an additional $35 million on marketing the film.
The movie has been promoted as giving viewers “unprecedented access to the 20 days leading up to the 2025 Presidential Inauguration — through the eyes of the First Lady herself.”
The first lady rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday ahead of the film’s Friday release. The White House hosted a private screening of the movie last weekend, and the documentary will have a red-carpet premiere at the Kennedy Center on Thursday.
South African theaters’ decision to pull the movie comes as Melania is already shaping up to bomb at the box office this weekend.
Social media users have mocked the apparent lack of interest in Melania as movie theaters across the U.S. appear to have sold few tickets for the movie’s opening night. Trump, meanwhile, claimed tickets to the movie are “Selling out, FAST!”
Around two-thirds of crew members who worked on the movie have also said they don’t want their names listed in the end credits, according to a report from Rolling Stone. Crew members described the working environment as “highly disorganized” and “very” chaotic.
One crew member even said, “Unfortunately, if it does flop, I would really feel great about it.”
