THE NEW YORK TIMES: The distributor, which was set to release the film on Friday, said it had canceled the theatrical premiere because of “recent developments,” but declined to specify.
“Melania,” the new documentary about the first lady, scheduled to open worldwide on Friday, has been pulled from theaters in South Africa after the film’s local distributor said on Wednesday that it would no longer release it.
“Based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in territory,” said Thobashan Govindarajulu, the head of sales and marketing for the distributor, Filmfinity.
Mr. Govindarajulu declined to say what recent developments had led to the decision, but said that the company was not pressured or asked to pull the film. “That was our decision,” he said. The decision was first reported by the South African outlet News24.
The promotion of the film about Melania Trump has been as polarizing as her husband, President Trump, who has touted the movie as a “must watch.” But theaters have reported thin advanced ticket sales, despite Amazon investing $40 million for the rights to the film and spending tens of millions more on marketing, which industry analysts saw as a big risk. » | John Eligon | Reporting from Johannesburg | Wednesday, January 28, 2026
