In late January 2026, a rumor spread that a Craigslist advertisement offered $50 and free movie tickets to people willing to see the new documentary about U.S. first lady Melania Trump on its opening day, Jan. 30.
The claim appeared on Reddit, Bluesky and X, with one X post claiming ticket sales for "Melania" were "disastrous" (archived):
In addition, a number of Snopes readers searched the website or emailed us, seeking to confirm whether the advertisement existed.
The Craigslist post was real. As people who amplified the rumor said, the ad (archived) on Craigslist's Boston website offered to pay people to watch the movie in question, clarifying they must remain in their seats from the beginning to the end to receive the money:
(Craigslist)
However, Snopes could not verify the ad's legitimacy. For this reason we've left this claim unrated.
We replied to the ad seeking more information about the people behind it and the logistics and will update this post if we learn more. In addition, we invite Snopes readers who answered the ad and received a response to get in touch to tell us what happened.
Using the British spelling for "theater," the original ad — posted Jan. 28 — read:
Attend MELANIA documentary at any Boston area theatre during opening weekend (this upcoming weekend)
Free tickets + $50 per seat occupied
Must remain in seats for entirety of film.
The ad later indicated it had been updated at 7:48 a.m. Jan. 30 to add:
***We are at capacity for this promotion. Those selected to attend the film will be contacted directly via email with relevant details today, Friday 1/30. We are working to finalize arrangements now***
In a later update Jan. 30, the post indicated that the promotion was not being offered on the advice of lawyers:
Thank you for your interest in
"Melania: Twenty Days to History."
We had an incredible response to this offer and were excited to provide true American Patriots the opportunity to attend the best documentary ever created while providing some much-needed relief for Biden's economy.
However, due to widespread coverage and backlash surrounding this offer in the fake news media, counsel has advised us that proceeding would run afoul of campaign finance laws. Considering the funding of the film by Amazon, we were shocked to hear this, but cannot take the risk.
Therefore, we are unable to move forward. As usual, this is the fault of the lunatic left and their corrupt election laws. They HATE America and will do anything to destroy this country.
On the bright side, this incredible film is now SOLD OUT everywhere, with box office success like no one has EVER seen.