The Melania Trump film had a successful start at the box office, but was the subject of criticism due to its unprecedented budget for a documentary.
The Melania Trump documentary unexpectedly enjoyed the best opening weekend for a US documentary in over a decade, grossing nearly $7 million in its opening weekend. However, this box office success was immediately overshadowed by controversy over the film's unprecedented budget.
The Amazon MGM Studios project cost approximately $40 million to produce and an additional $35 million to market. Such expenditures are considered extremely rare for the documentary genre. Critics and some in the industry speculate that such a large investment in a film about the president's wife could have political overtones, especially given Donald Trump's second term in the White House.
The film follows Melania Trump as she prepares for her return to Washington in early 2025. Analysts note that the primary audience during the premiere days was comprised of older, conservative viewers, primarily women over 55. A significant portion of the box office revenue came from southern, predominantly Republican states, including Florida and Texas.
Amazon stated that the initial figures exceeded forecasts and emphasized that the film is viewed as a long-term project with a lifespan beyond theatrical release, on the Prime Video platform. The company believes that the streaming model, with its multi-million audience, justifies such a significant investment.
Film critics, however, have reacted strongly to the film. Reviewers have called it overly sympathetic and lacking depth. The Guardian described the film as “empty and uninformative,” while other publications have described it as “an expensive propaganda piece.”
Brett Ratner, whose return to Hollywood also sparked controversy, directed the film. Donald Trump stated that he was not involved in the project's financing negotiations. Melania Trump, for her part, emphasized that the producers considered various distribution options, but Amazon offered the widest international release.
The film thus became more than just a film premiere, but part of a broader discussion about politics, money, and the limits of contemporary documentary filmmaking.
