Some might consider it ridiculous that Jeff Bezos thought it wise to pay $40 million to produce a movie no one outside the White House wanted. But then, was it really about making a documentary about Trump’s third wife, or about having a mechanism to funnel a $40 million to Trump? As a movie business decision, it was nuts. As a Trump business decision, it was still nuts, given that any purchase of Trump’s affection lasts only until the check clears.
But Amazon paid, and the movie was made.
Amazon paid Ms. Trump’s production company $40 million for the rights to “Melania,” about $26 million more than the next closest bidder, Disney. The fee includes a related docuseries that is scheduled to air later this year. The budget for “Melania” is unknown, but documentaries that follow a subject for a limited amount of time usually cost less than $5 million to produce.
The documentary was subject to Melania’s editorial control, thus lacking any artistic or journalistic value, and having a promotional poster more appropriate for a crush film. Its director hadn’t made a movie in almost a decade. But having paid an outrageous sum, and having whet the whistle of the White House wife, Amazon found itself in an awkward situation: How to get anyone to watch it. After all, was there any groundswell of interest in Melania? Even the MAGA faithful, adoring of Trump, held little interest in former nude model of dubious alien origins who was rarely seen and held no sway with their glorious leader.
The $35 million for marketing is 10 times what some other high-profile documentaries have received.
That brings the known total cost of the film to $75 million, without the cost of actually making the film.
To grasp just how uncustomary Amazon’s marketing push for “Melania” is, consider how Magnolia Pictures handled “RBG,” a portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg during her 25th year as a Supreme Court justice, in 2018.
CNN Films produced “RBG” for around $1 million. The promotional budget, including an awards campaign that helped it land two Oscar nominations, totaled about $3 million. The film debuted in 34 theaters and expanded into 432 locations over several weeks. It ultimately collected $14 million, enough to rank as the year’s No. 1 political documentary.
Frankly, the RBG film’s take was not particularly impressive, even though it was profitable and people actually cared about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and wanted to see the movie. Many of the people at Amazon resisted being involved in the making of Melania, and about two-thirds of those involved asked that their names no appear in the credits. Whether this was a commentary on Trump or on the merits of the movie is unclear, but it surely isn’t a ringing endorsement.
So what is the outlook for this money pit? It will premier at the Trump Center, and the president and first lady will be there with those people willing to be in the same room as them. But outside that room, there are a lot of empty theater seats despite Trump’s totally believable claim that seats are “Selling Out, FAST!”
But opening weekend projections so far are just a fraction of that hefty price tag, with market research company National Research Group projecting a $5 million opening weekend, Puck reported, while trade publication Boxoffice Pro projects an even more conservative haul between $1 million and $2 million.
Did Bezos make a wise business decision sinking all this money into the Melania documentary that no one, but no one, wanted? If it serves to get him whatever he sought from Trump, perhaps. But the flip side is that Amazon is now stuck with trying not to humiliate Melania, and by extension Trump, by producing a film that no one comes to watch.
It would surprise no one if Trump claims its the most popular movie ever made. It would surprise no one if Trump demands it get an Oscar or he’ll send ICE into Hollywood. Maybe the reviews will be so stunningly positive that people will flock to see it, even if there is nearly no advance interest. But having paid a king’s ransom for the rights to make the documentary, Amazon now finds itself in the awkward position of not humiliating Trump should it be a huge flop.
And as we know, Trump does not take well to being humiliated. Just ask Tulsi Gabbard down in Fulton County, Georgia, where voting records were seized and Ka$h Patel announces that Trump won “by a lot.”
Update: Wanna make a quick $50?
there is now a Craigslist listing that will pay you to go see Melania in Boston now pic.twitter.com/PQCM4rAWh4
— Nate Gilbert (@NateGilbert) January 29, 2026
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Humiliated? This cinematic classic will soon become a major cultural exhibit at the Trump-Smithsonian in Washington D.C. it will be shown somewhere near the Archie Bunker chair now on display there. Perhaps it will be played in the anteroom just as you enter the museum after purchasing your ticket to enter the museum. The sweetener will be the Trump Time watches on sale for $99.99 a bargain at three times the price. In just a few decades nearly half the country will have seen this epic homage. It will become a new cult classic in the blink of an eye. Our Augustus will have transformed himself into Our Dear Leader. The movies can do that. Don’t be such a cynic.
“Watching ‘Melania’ was the worst experience I’ve had in a theater” – Abe Lincoln
Rather than a movie Amazon should have done a series like Clarkson’s Farm modeled after the YouTube series American Countess.
After all, Amazon knows how to make interesting documentaries with politics thrown in. Add a poor girl from a backwards country pitched into the aristocracy they may have had something on their hands that a few people would watch, hoping for a train wreck.
Update. NPR reports that Amazon paid $40 million to acquire the film, and that it has committed to another $ 35 million for marketing same. 75 million dollars. Epic!
[Ed. Note: I am sorry to learn of your reading challenges. Best wishes.]
Positive reviews? Yes, they are positively hilarious. Variety(I think) said if it was shown on an airplane people would still walk out. There are many others out there in a similar vein.