James Chalmers
@jameschalmers.bsky.social
Regius Professor of Law at the University of Glasgow School of Law. Nothing should be inferred from the absence of unnecessary disclaimers on this profile.
There is actually a dedicated documentary cinema in London: as a guide to the level of demand, it has one screen with 55 seats. I suspect it is not showing Melania.
January 28, 2026 at 4:32 PM
There is actually a dedicated documentary cinema in London: as a guide to the level of demand, it has one screen with 55 seats. I suspect it is not showing Melania.
I was defeated in my attempt last year. (I will watch some but very few.) bsky.app/profile/jame...
Asked to do a work thing which means I’ll miss watching two hours of Belgian arthouse cinema and obviously I can watch that at home any time but it’s hard without the discipline of being in a room where you’re not allowed to distract yourself with your phone.
![Chantal Akerman being interviewed explaining that “with me, you see the time pass and feel it pass. You also sense that this is the time that leads towards death… [drawing on a cigarette] I took two hours of someone’s life”.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kc4iodwrwf3vsopm6lx6xktg/bafkreihhvc5aeif56rje2omwddj7ngwa5ia6tpie5fknybt4nyiwv3i4nq@jpeg)
January 28, 2026 at 4:28 PM
I was defeated in my attempt last year. (I will watch some but very few.) bsky.app/profile/jame...
I hate that I know what this refers to.
January 28, 2026 at 9:53 AM
I hate that I know what this refers to.
Sure! My point is only that multiplexes have lots of screenings with low attendance, which is why I don't think there is necessarily a vast hit in (weirdly, of course, given that this is a new film) having low attendance screenings here.
January 27, 2026 at 10:48 AM
Sure! My point is only that multiplexes have lots of screenings with low attendance, which is why I don't think there is necessarily a vast hit in (weirdly, of course, given that this is a new film) having low attendance screenings here.
That said, I just remembered that Vue said a couple of years ago they had started using AI for film scheduling and it would be very funny to know whether they had to manually override their in-house version of ChatGPT suggesting "maybe one screening at 10am on Wednesday if you really must".
January 27, 2026 at 10:43 AM
That said, I just remembered that Vue said a couple of years ago they had started using AI for film scheduling and it would be very funny to know whether they had to manually override their in-house version of ChatGPT suggesting "maybe one screening at 10am on Wednesday if you really must".
I am not going to research this fully but although it's rightly funny to point out e.g. "only two people have bought a ticket for this screening of Melania on release day", right now only two people have bought tickets across the two screenings of Marty Supreme the same evening in that cinema.
January 27, 2026 at 10:32 AM
I am not going to research this fully but although it's rightly funny to point out e.g. "only two people have bought a ticket for this screening of Melania on release day", right now only two people have bought tickets across the two screenings of Marty Supreme the same evening in that cinema.
No, although I wonder if the hit is as big as it might seem. In multiplexes there will often be screenings with only a handful of tickets sold, even if it's unusual for those to be a brand new release. There still must be some incentive to do it, of course!
January 27, 2026 at 10:29 AM
No, although I wonder if the hit is as big as it might seem. In multiplexes there will often be screenings with only a handful of tickets sold, even if it's unusual for those to be a brand new release. There still must be some incentive to do it, of course!
My local Vue has 20 (!) screenings listed from Friday to next Thursday; a mix of afternoon and evening ones. They seem to be scheduling it as if it were an entirely normal mainstream popular release.
January 27, 2026 at 10:19 AM
My local Vue has 20 (!) screenings listed from Friday to next Thursday; a mix of afternoon and evening ones. They seem to be scheduling it as if it were an entirely normal mainstream popular release.
But did they ask you what the badminton players attempted to name themselves? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badmint...
Badminton New Zealand - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 26, 2026 at 10:42 PM
But did they ask you what the badminton players attempted to name themselves? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badmint...
(The docuseries actually sounds like a much better idea if only because no-one has to know how few people watch it.)
January 26, 2026 at 10:34 PM
(The docuseries actually sounds like a much better idea if only because no-one has to know how few people watch it.)
Not just a film. I hope you’ve added the docuseries to your watchlist.
![In January 2025, Amazon MGM Studios announced that Brett Ratner would direct a documentary film about Melania Trump, the first lady of the United States.[3] Disney and Paramount Pictures bid for streaming rights to the film, as reported by Matthew Belloni of Puck News, but Amazon outbid both and agreed to pay $40 million to license the film and produce a follow-up docuseries on the first lady.[4] Filming for the documentary began in December 2024, following the U.S. presidential election, with Trump serving as executive producer alongside Fernando Sulichin.[3][5]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kc4iodwrwf3vsopm6lx6xktg/bafkreignpfgtvfd4xxrctyjpl32rnsuyqqq7yezruazrupee5bhno4an74@jpeg)
January 26, 2026 at 10:32 PM
Not just a film. I hope you’ve added the docuseries to your watchlist.
Amongst much else I’m baffled by the premise. There is probably a film to be made (surely such films have been made!) about the role of the First Lady. There might be a film to be made about the shock of starting the role for the first time. A film about starting the role for the second time?
January 26, 2026 at 10:21 PM
Amongst much else I’m baffled by the premise. There is probably a film to be made (surely such films have been made!) about the role of the First Lady. There might be a film to be made about the shock of starting the role for the first time. A film about starting the role for the second time?
A sentence I never thought I’d have to write, but: no, Keir Starmer has a perfectly normal number of fingers in that photo, what are some of you on about?
January 26, 2026 at 9:31 PM
A sentence I never thought I’d have to write, but: no, Keir Starmer has a perfectly normal number of fingers in that photo, what are some of you on about?
Out 1 at the BFI! Not bad once it stopped being comprised overwhelmingly of experimental theatre rehearsals. (But I wouldn’t watch it again.) whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/defau...
Buy cinema tickets for Out 1: Noli me tangere | BFI Southbank
whatson.bfi.org.uk
January 26, 2026 at 9:27 PM
Out 1 at the BFI! Not bad once it stopped being comprised overwhelmingly of experimental theatre rehearsals. (But I wouldn’t watch it again.) whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/defau...
As someone who saw a 743 minute film in the cinema earlier this month, I say: amateur.
January 26, 2026 at 8:34 PM
As someone who saw a 743 minute film in the cinema earlier this month, I say: amateur.
I see when I look at the Vue website to check how popular it is in my local (not very but there have been some tickets sold) there is a banner ad for the film. Fascinated by what the promotional deal might be here!
January 26, 2026 at 8:22 PM
I see when I look at the Vue website to check how popular it is in my local (not very but there have been some tickets sold) there is a banner ad for the film. Fascinated by what the promotional deal might be here!
I think from the explanation suggested in the article they must have more leeway than that but I suspect it’s not far off that: something like “if it makes commercial sense we’ll play it, but I am not going to go into why this makes commercial sense”.
January 26, 2026 at 8:03 PM
I think from the explanation suggested in the article they must have more leeway than that but I suspect it’s not far off that: something like “if it makes commercial sense we’ll play it, but I am not going to go into why this makes commercial sense”.
Given the way YouGov ratings work (you'd be giving the rating with no context other than the name and a tiny photo, where in this case you can barely see the face) I think it must be that. I hope so!
January 26, 2026 at 12:58 PM
Given the way YouGov ratings work (you'd be giving the rating with no context other than the name and a tiny photo, where in this case you can barely see the face) I think it must be that. I hope so!
Wait until you find out who the most popular Conservative politician is. yougov.co.uk/ratings/poli...
The most popular Conservative politicians in the UK | Politics | YouGov Ratings
The most popular Conservative politicians in the UK according to YouGov Ratings. Popularity is based on millions of responses from the British public and YouGov's innovative survey methodology.
yougov.co.uk
January 26, 2026 at 12:53 PM
Wait until you find out who the most popular Conservative politician is. yougov.co.uk/ratings/poli...
They’re not blocking anyone, according to Clearsky. I think you’re blocking them!
January 25, 2026 at 11:00 PM
They’re not blocking anyone, according to Clearsky. I think you’re blocking them!