Given ‘Recent Developments,’ Nation Drops Melania Distributor in South Africa says it wasn’t pressured to pull the documentary from theaters

A high-profile documentary centered on Melania Trump will no longer open in South African theaters as planned this week after the local distributor abruptly changed course.

Filmfinity executive Thobashan Govindarajulu said Wednesday that the company had decided not to move forward with a theatrical release of Melania in South Africa, citing unspecified “recent developments.” He declined to provide further details but emphasized that the decision was not the result of external pressure, according to the New York Times. The film is still scheduled to debut globally on Friday.

Backed by Amazon, the documentary follows the first lady in the lead-up to President Trump’s second inauguration and has attracted attention both for its subject and for its director, Brett Ratner. Ratner’s involvement marks a return to Hollywood after sexual misconduct accusations emerged against him in 2017. Despite significant spending by Amazon on acquisition and promotion, theaters have reported weak advance ticket sales.

The film’s rollout comes amid strained relations between President Trump and the South African government, tensions driven by the president’s tariff policies and his false claims of genocide against South Africa’s white minority. Elsewhere, interest has also appeared limited, with a theater chain executive telling The Guardian that advance ticket sales in the United Kingdom have been “soft.”

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