Melania Trump’s Movie Premiere Cancelled in South Africa

• The premiere of the United States' First Lady, Melania Trump's movie, has been cancelled in the country as the US president faces backlash for his stance against South Africa
• The documentary has been withdrawn from the cinemas, according to a media report, after objections were raised about the sensitivity of the movie in the current political climate
• Netizens were happy that it was withdrawn, and many roasted the movie's ticket sales across the world

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international politics, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his 10 years of experience.

GAUTENG — The theatrical release of the US First Lady Melania Trump's self-titled movie, Melania, has been withdrawn in South Africa despite it meeting regulatory standards. Concerns about the political context behind the movie compelled the distributor to pull it from cinemas.

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According to Meidas News, the movie was scheduled to be screened in Ster-Kinekor, Nu Metro cinemas, and selected independent venues. However, members of the public raised their objections directly with Filmfinity, the company that is distributing the movie locally.

Why was Melania's premiere cancelled?

Meidas News reported that sources close to the situation said that the concerns raised were how the movie would be received by the local market. Concerns were also raised about how the movie, which is tied to United States President Donald Trump's wife, could be presented as entertainment that is neutral and free of any contextual framing.

The director of the documentary, Brett Ratner, also came under fire after he faced sexual misconduct charges in 2017. Multiple actresses accused him of sexual misconduct, and Warner Bros cut ties with him. Filmfinity confirmed that the movie had been withdrawn from South African cinemas.

South Africa vs Donald Trump

Relations between South Africa and Donald Trump's administration have been strained since Trump was elected as the 47th president of the United States. Trump accused the South African government of a genocide of Afrikaners, whom he classified as refugees after he signed an Executive Order in February 2025. He also accused the government of seizing farmers' land.

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Trump also imposed a 30% tariff on South African goods on 1 August 2025. He threatened to impose the tariffs and demanded that the South African government withdraw its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Netizens applaud the cancellation of the movie

Social media users commenting on the cancellation were happy and pointed out that the movie's ticket sales were not doing well in other countries either.

Dr Cole said:

"The world has spoken: Trump's name is toxic everywhere but in the cult. Even a softball "documentary" about Melania can't survive the global revulsion toward her husband and his regime. Embarrassing, but entirely predictable."

Vetinari3 said:

"UK ticket sales have been described as extremely soft by the major chain Vue's CEO. In London, only 1 ticket was sold for the first 3:10 pm."

Mike Bates said:

"Maybe the theatres didn't want to lose money showing that barker of a movie that few want to see."

Dough Borton said:

"I feel bad for the three South Africans who wanted to see it."

Kenny H said:

"Well, there goes 3 dollars in sales."

Donald Trump doubles down on white genocide claims

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In a related article, Briefly News reported that Trump repeated his claims that there was a white genocide in South Africa. He spoke on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

eNCA journalist Heidi Giokos asked him what it would take for him to admit that there was no white genocide in the country. Trump responded that there was a genocide and it must be stopped.

Source: Briefly News