"Melania" documentary pulled from South African theaters

A new documentary about US first lady Melania Trump has been pulled from cinemas in South Africa just days before its scheduled worldwide release, according to the film’s local distributor.

“Melania,” which was due to open internationally on January 30, will no longer receive a theatrical release in South Africa, Filmfinity announced on January 28. The company’s head of sales and marketing, Thobashan Govindarajulu, confirmed the decision to The New York Times but declined to specify the reasons behind it.

“Based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in territory,” Mr. Govindarajulu said. He added that Filmfinity had not been pressured to withdraw the film. “That was our decision.”

The documentary, which follows Ms. Trump in the weeks leading up to her husband’s second inauguration as president, has attracted controversy since its announcement. President Trump has publicly promoted the film, calling it a “must watch,” but cinema operators have reported weak advance ticket sales.

Amazon paid approximately $40 million for the rights to the film and has spent tens of millions of dollars more on marketing, a strategy some industry analysts have described as risky.

Additional criticism has focused on the film’s director, Brett Ratner, marking his first Hollywood project since he was accused of sexual misconduct in 2017 during the height of the #MeToo movement.

The cancellation comes amid strained diplomatic relations between South Africa and the United States. President Trump has repeatedly criticised South Africa since the start of his second term, including spreading false claims that the country’s white minority is facing a genocide. His comments, along with new tariffs imposed by the US, have fueled anger among many South Africans.

It remains unclear whether political tensions, poor ticket sales, or other factors prompted Filmfinity’s decision, which appeared to come suddenly.

Mark Sardi, chief executive of Ster-Kinekor, one of South Africa’s largest cinema chains, said he had recently received communication from Filmfinity indicating that the film had met all regulatory requirements and would be released.

In an interview on January 28, Mr. Sardi said he did not know why the distributor had reversed course.

“Our basic position would be we’re not in the business of censorship,” he said. “I expect the decision would have been a commercial one balanced with a whole lot of current issues.”

A spokeswoman for South Africa’s Film and Publications Board, the country’s content regulator, said on January 28 that the board was not aware the film had been withdrawn.

By Sabina Mammadli