Stephen Colbert used his Late Show monologue to poke fun at weak advance ticket sales for Melania Trump’s upcoming documentary MELANIA. He cited reports of empty seats at major theaters and the film’s costly production budget.
Stephen Colbert jokes about Melania documentary ticket sales
Stephen Colbert addressed reports of weak advance ticket sales for Melania Trump’s upcoming documentary MELANIA during his Late Show monologue Tuesday night. He used the figures to deliver a series of pointed jokes about the film’s limited demand in some high-profile locations.
Colbert told his audience that some major theaters, particularly in New York City, were showing no advance purchases for opening-weekend screenings. Citing Regal and AMC locations in Times Square, he said that two 7:30 p.m. Saturday showings had sold no tickets. He added, “It’s literally the busiest blocks on the planet!” before stressing again, “Zero tickets sold at the AMC.”
The comedian also referenced online screenshots of theater booking pages that appeared to show rows of empty seats nationwide. “Social media has been flooded with images of theaters in major cities that haven’t sold a single seat,” Colbert said. He added that estimates suggested the $75 million production could bring in only “$1 or $2 million in its opening weekend.”
Colbert then turned to the scale of the investment behind the film, which is directed by Brett Ratner and financed by Amazon MGM Studios. “Amazon bribed a whopping $40 million for the movie and an additional $35 million for marketing, promotion, and distribution. So big box office, right? Wrong,” he remarked.
Colbert also mocked the premise of the documentary, which follows Melania Trump in the days leading up to President Donald Trump’s January 2025 inauguration. “It’s a real peek behind the curtain at a woman picking out curtains,” he quipped.
MELANIA is set to open in theaters on January 30.
