A viral Craigslist listing offering viewers USD 50 besides a free ticket to watch Melania, the new documentary on US First Lady Melania Trump, has sparked a fresh wave of memes and jokes online amid the film’s weak box office opening.
The ad urges participants to attend any Boston-area screening of the 104-minute film for free and collect cash, provided they sit through the entire runtime.
At the time the report was published on Friday, the website mentioned that shows for the documentary were booked beyond capacity in Boston and selected viewers would be contacted directly via E-mail ahead of the screening.
“We are at capacity for this promotion. Those selected to attend the film will be contacted directly via email with relevant details today, Friday 1/30. We are working to finalize arrangements now,” reads a note on the Craigslist website.
boston.craigslist.org
The two-day old ad has gained fresh traction after the documentary’s Washington premiere on Thursday, which drew flak from American TV hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon and other celebrities.
The Amazon-backed project, directed by Brett Ratner, has struggled to generate advance ticket sales across major markets, with reports of sparsely booked or empty screenings in parts of the UK, US and Canada.
According to The Guardian, ahead of its London premiere on Friday, only one ticket was sold for a mid-afternoon screening at a cinema in Islington, while just two tickets were snapped up for an evening show at the same venue. The situation appeared even bleaker across major multiplexes, with all scheduled screenings at Vue theatres in London recording zero advance sales.
Taking a dig at the documentary’s sluggish box office performance, an X user wrote, “Not one ticket sold yet for #Melania. Hope this movie makes 7 bucks. “Melania has been nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography in the FIFA Oscar,” posted another.
The documentary, produced by Amazon MGM Studios, follows Melania Trump during the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration and is expected to move to Prime Video after its theatrical run.
