It’s the film that’s dividing the internet. The new documentary about US’ First Lady Melania Trump is making waves, but not for the usual reasons. Rotten Tomatoes shows a jaw-dropping gap between critics and audiences. Critics gave the film a paltry 8%, while audience members are practically handing it a standing ovation with a 99% score. Naturally, eyebrows are raised.
Despite rumours that the audience numbers might be rigged, Rotten Tomatoes insists there’s no funny business.
The site confirmed that its “Popcornmeter” score is based only on reviews from verified ticket buyers. “There has been NO bot manipulation on the audience reviews for the Melania documentary,” a spokesperson told ‘People’.
Also Read: How ‘Melania’ became the most controversial documentary of the year, and almost no one has seen it yet
Every Popcornmeter review apparently undergoes check to ensure the reviewer actually purchased a ticket.
Not everyone buys Rotten Tomatoes’ explanation. On X, users noticed that many of the “verified” audience reviews come from brand-new accounts. “Who is paying for these bots?” one person wrote.
Jimmy Kimmel joins the fun
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel had a field day with the numbers on his show. He noted the critics’ 5% “Tomatometer” score and compared it to the notorious flop ‘Gigli’, adding: “The audience score for ‘Melania’ is 99%, which is 1% higher than ‘The Godfather’. And I’m sure Donald J Corleone had nothing to do with that at all.”
Kimmel didn’t stop there. He joked about sending Tulsi Gabbard and the FBI to investigate alleged bulk ticket purchases which reportedly had free distribution to Republican activists and senior citizen homes.
“We need to get to the bottom of this! Seize the ticket machines, the popcorn buckets, the box office receipts at every multiplex in America!” he quipped.
Kimmel even drew a parallel to past Republican antics, recalling when the RNC reportedly spent $100,000 buying copies of Don Jr’s book to land it on the ‘New York Times’ bestseller list. “No one has ever even opened that book. It might be full of blank pages, we will never know,” he joked.
Box office blues for Melania
Even with rave audience reviews, the documentary is struggling at the box office. In its second weekend, ticket sales fell 67%, leaving the 10-day total at $14.5 million.
Considering the film had a $40 million licensing deal and a $35 million marketing spend, it’s safe to say profits aren’t quite living up to the hype.