US EditionMelania Trump Documentary Faces Modest Box Office Start and International Setback
Amazon paid a record $40 million licensing fee plus $35 million marketing for Melania Trump's film, raising ethical questions over potential influence on government contracts, critics say.
- On January 31, 2026, Amazon MGM paid $40 million to license the Melania Trump documentary focusing on the 20 days before the 2017 inauguration and credits her as executive producer.
- Many observers said the deal resembled buying favour, citing Bezos's Mar-a-Lago dinners and a $1m donation, which critics say looks like a `bribe` or influence-seeking.
- FilmNation arranged a 3,300‑cinema international rollout, backed by a $35 million marketing blitz including billboards, TV ads, and a projection onto the Sphere venue in Las Vegas.
- Exhibitors reported soft pre-sales and pulled screenings, with U.S. box-office trackers projecting an opening between $1-5 million and South Africa removing the film.
- The film's backstage controversies and VIP premieres raise reputational risks for Amazon, as director Brett Ratner, accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct which he denies, faced crew members seeking credit removal, and press were barred from the U.S. premiere attended by Republican politicians.
15 Articles
15 Articles
The film Melania is anything but a documentary about the First Lady of the United States. But the amount it cost to make it shot it to the top of the imaginary list of the most expensive documentaries. Amazon paid $40 million (816 million crowns) for the rights to the film alone, about three times more than the competition offered. Jeff Bezos' company spent another $35 million (714 million crowns) on marketing. When asked why, analysts answer. I…
What things are. In Spain, the president’s wife faces a sort of phantom process, a pimpon match between the instructor and the court that is correcting her until we see where the ball falls. In France, the first lady had to bring to trial the creators of the bull of her transsexuality. And in the United States, the country whose democracy we seem to have come to admire one day, we have Melania Trump in full promotion of her self-bomb documentary…
Amazon & Friends Roll Out International Red Carpet For ‘Melania’ Doc But Does Anyone Want To See It?
What’s the conservative equivalent of ‘go woke, go broke’? ‘Go Trump, go turkey’? That seems to be the message coming out of international when it comes to the Melania documentary that Amazon MGM reportedly spent an eye-watering and record $40M to license and $35M to market. Multiple international distribution and exhibition sources we’ve spoken to […]
An independent documentary? Of course: The first lady herself produced the film about Melania Trump, the president is said to have interfered with it, and Amazon was worth the dozens of millions.
Amazon pays $40 million, 28 of which go to Melania Trump. The documentary threatens to become an expensive flop. How bad is the movie?
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