It’s Friday afternoon at Hoyts on Sydney’s northern beaches, and the atmosphere is horrific. I am here to see Amazon’s $75m “documentary” on Melania Trump, which has already been condemned as a flop ahead of its release.

When I arrive, I panic for a second that I have the time wrong. There are no Melania posters anywhere and the screening is tucked into the back bottom corner of the large movie theatre, like the weird leftover table at a wedding.

Eventually, just eight people arrive. The cinema has a capacity of about 150 people. There’s a couple, an elderly lady, a few middle-aged men and me. We all sit in the back for some reason.

I wonder if the terrible showing is because it’s a weird time of day to watch a movie. But of the five evening screenings of Melania taking place on its opening day at cinemas across Sydney, none have sold more than 16 tickets. One has sold just six.

Earlier viewings that were slated for 11am in Australia were pulled at the last minute due to a miscommunication over Amazon MGM Studios’ worldwide embargo, preventing any screenings from going ahead before 4pm AEST.

This means I am one of less than 100 people in the city of Sydney, population 5.5 million people, to see Melania’s debut. Who are my peers? Maga fans willing to........

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