"Amazon paid $40 million to acquire "Melania" and is reportedly spending $35 million to promote it. So even though the documentary is outperforming pre-release estimates predicting a $3 to $5 million opening weekend, it's unlikely to make a profit in theaters. Amazon's bid came in $26 million ahead of the next highest bidder, Disney, leading critics to suggest the deal had less to do with the film's box office potential and more with winning over the Trump administration."
"Veteran film executive Ted Hope, who worked at Amazon from 2015 to 2020, told The New York Times that the film "has to be the most expensive documentary ever made that didn't involve music licensing." "How can it not be equated with currying favor or an outright bribe?" Hope said. "How can that not be the case?" This is the first film directed by Brett Ratner since 2017, when multiple women accused him of sexual harassment and misconduct. (Ratner has denied those accusations.)"
The Melania documentary earned an estimated $7.04 million on opening weekend, placing third behind Send Help and Iron Lung. Amazon paid $40 million to acquire the film and is reportedly spending $35 million on promotion, making theatrical profit unlikely despite exceeding pre-release projections. Amazon's bid led by $26 million over Disney prompted suggestions the purchase aimed to curry favor with the Trump administration. Director Brett Ratner returned after past misconduct accusations, and many New York crew members declined formal credit. The film was not screened for critics and holds very low scores on Metacritic (7%) and Rotten Tomatoes (10%).
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