Newly released documentary ‘Melania’ claimed the title of lowest-rated prominent release on IMDb by edging out a comedy special that held the position for years. The 2026 documentary, currently registers a 1.3 out of 10 rating on the platform, compiled from approximately 32,300 user ratings and 87 written reviews.
The score sits just below the 1.4 rating earned by “Brendan Schaub: You’d Be Surprised.” It is a 2019 stand-up comedy special that accumulated roughly 6,100 ratings and 946 reviews during its time as one of the platform’s most poorly received comedy releases.
IMDb has flagged the documentary’s page with an “unusual activity” notice, suggesting irregular voting patterns may have influenced the final tally. The film also carries a Metascore of 6, indicating widespread critical disapproval. Reports suggest the rating dropped from 1.1 just days earlier.
The documentary’s reception is quite opposite to other recent independent releases that have found considerable success. Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach’s “Iron Lung” is a prime example of this.
The horror film, adapted from an indie video game and self-funded with roughly $3 million, generated more than $21 million during its opening weekend across approximately 4,000 theaters worldwide.
Markiplier has aroun 38 million YouTube subscribers, and handled all promotional efforts through social media and his channel where he documented the multi-year production process. The strategy proved effective enough that the film has already recovered its production costs. Markiplier receives slightly less than half the gross revenue while production and distribution partner Centurion, along with theatrical bookers, split the remainder.
The YouTube creator’s project initially aimed for a limited run in around 50 theaters but expanded dramatically due to demand. ‘Iron Lung’ delivered approximately seven times its production budget in returns, far outpacing the efficiency of bigger-budget competitors like ‘Melania’.
