Fact check: Did Karoline Leavitt say 'Melania' movie sold more tickets than 'Star Wars'?

WASHINGTON, DC: Following the success of the documentary film ‘Melania,’ based on the life of First Lady Melania Trump, a claim has been circulating on social media that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the film sold more tickets than 'Star Wars'. Let us analyse the origins of the claim and fact-check whether Leavitt really made such a remark.

Claim: Karoline Leavitt said 'Melania' movie sold more tickets than 'Star Wars'

The alleged remark surfaced as a screenshot that appears to be from Fox News, claiming that the documentary film sold more tickets than the iconic sci-fi franchise.

The image includes a picture of Leavitt along with the logo of the outlet in the corner, accompanied by a caption saying, 'LEAVITT: THE FIRST LADY’S MOVIE SOLD MORE TICKETS THAN STAR WARS.'

The claim has spread across multiple social media platforms, including X, Facebook, and Reddit, with the X post garnering more than half a million views and thousands of likes.

Fact Check: Karoline Leavitt made no such statement

The claim, however, is false, as there is no credible evidence showing the press secretary making such a statement.

Searches on Google for the statement did not generate appropriate results supporting the claim. If it were true, it would have been widely covered by prominent news media outlets.

The Fox News logo and caption on the screenshot were digitally altered. 

The top right corner of the image includes a watermark written ‘@JAMBOSCHLARMBO’ which points back to an Instagram account that's a self-described 'satirist' and 'comedian.' None of the headlines they post is real, including this one.

A fact check by Grok, the AI assistant of X, has also debunked the post, saying, “The image appears to be a satirical edit; no evidence that Karoline Leavitt made that statement."

"The 'Melania' doc grossed ~$7M opening weekend (~700K tickets at avg $10 price). 'Star Wars' (1977) sold >178M domestic tickets lifetime. No 'Star Wars' film matches that low figure.”

The 'greatest' opening for a documentary film

The documentary movie is shaping up to post the strongest opening for a documentary in a decade. Estimates point to better-than-expected $8 million or more in its opening frame.

The solid start follows a targeted campaign aimed squarely at older conservatives, capped by a Thursday night premiere in Washington, DC, that was attended by Trump and filled with loyalists. 

The showing comes as a surprise, given the widespread belief that 'Melania' was headed for a soft opening.

That narrative took hold after allegedly empty seat maps made rounds online, suggesting minimal interest in theaters nationwide. Some even branded the film a bomb before it had a chance to play.