First lady Melania Trump at the Mar-a-Lago resort on Dec. 24. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Our great national political divide has come to Rotten Tomatoes. The critics' score for Melania is an abysmal 6 percent. The documentary's audience score is an incredible 99 percent. This is the biggest critics vs. audience split in the movie review site's history, confirmed a site's spokesperson. And Rotten Tomatoes says those audience numbers are, in fact, very real: "There has been NO manipulation on the audience reviews for the Melania documentary," the company has said in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter. "Reviews displayed on the Popcornmeter are VERIFIED reviews, meaning it has been verified that users have bought a ticket to the film through Fandango." Related Stories News Donald Trump Posts, Then Deletes Video Depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as Apes Music Finneas O'Connell Claps Back at "Old White Men" Who Criticized Billie Eilish's Grammys Speech And certainly nobody has doubted the validity of the critics' score. Many of the scathing reviews (a generous sample of them here) sound like the reviewer attended the screening at gunpoint. The trio of positive reviews that have kept its score above zero were from publications known for having a right-wing tilt (The Epoch Times, The London Evening Standard and The Spectator). To be fair, many of the outlets that left negative reviews are often accused of having a liberal bias by those on the political right. In a way, that 99 percent number is not surprising. One presumably has to be a greater-than-casual MAGA fan to go to a theater to watch a documentary about the sphinx-like first lady. So the audience is pretty self selecting. Since we previously showcased many of the critical barbs thrown at the film, it seems only fair to post a couple of the audience reactions from RT: "There's no propaganda, just lots of insight into the planning and execution of the parties and events," wrote one. "I was surprised at how involved the incoming First Lady is. And I was amazed at the programs and work Melania has done over the past 8 years. There are some glimpses at her personal life as well. A truly classy woman with an amazing sense of style, grace and elegance." And another: "I didn't know what to expect, but Id never seen in a documentary about the White House this angle and I found it fascinating! I was really drawn into it about 15 minutes in and when the movie ended, everyone in the entire theater was applauding, including myself." Melania has been a clear success at the box office. The film's $8 million opening weekend was the best showing in a decade for a documentary film. Melania also recently made headlines in a new way when a theater when distributor Amazon MGM asked a theater in Oregon to stop screening the film due to some viral jokes on its marquee. Previously, the first lady and filmmaker Brett Ratner discussed with THR the making of the film, with the controversial denying speculation that he made Melania as a way to get his career back. That's ridiculous," he said. "If anything, this was a bigger risk because of the polarization and subject matter. I didn't do this to get me back into Hollywood. That wasn't my strategy. I've been waiting to make Rush Hour 4 - that was my strategy." THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Working Title Films Angourie Rice-Spike Fearn Rom-Com 'Finding Emily' Lands Summer Release From Focus (Exclusive) The Odyssey Jonathan Nolan Has Seen 'The Odyssey' and Heaps Praise on Brother's Film International Film Festival Rotterdam Rotterdam Film Festival: 'Variations on a Theme' and 'Master' Win Top Awards Sundance Mighty 'Mouse': Inside a Scrappy Indie Success Story Movie News M. Night Shyamalan's Nicholas Sparks Movie Moves to 2027 Release Date Neon Neon Nabs 'Clarissa,' Starring Sophie Okonedo, David Oyelowo, For U.S. Release Working Title Films Angourie Rice-Spike Fearn Rom-Com 'Finding Emily' Lands Summer Release From Focus (Exclusive) The Odyssey Jonathan Nolan Has Seen 'The Odyssey' and Heaps Praise on Brother's Film International Film Festival Rotterdam Rotterdam Film Festival: 'Variations on a Theme' and 'Master' Win Top Awards Sundance Mighty 'Mouse': Inside a Scrappy Indie Success Story Movie News M. Night Shyamalan's Nicholas Sparks Movie Moves to 2027 Release Date Neon Neon Nabs 'Clarissa,' Starring Sophie Okonedo, David Oyelowo, For U.S. Release