As US President Donald Trump struggles to navigate a series of crises – rising economic concerns, threats of war against Iran, and rising tensions over his aggressive mass deportation raids – First Lady Melania Trump is going to the movies.
The documentary film, Melania, detailing the first lady’s life over 20 days leading up to her husband’s inauguration in January 2025, promises an intimate view of a figure known for keeping a low profile.
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“Hello, Mr President, congratulations,” Melania Trump says in a phone call with her husband that appears in the film’s trailer. Asked by Trump if she had watched his speech, she responds, “I did not, I will see it on the news.”
But the film has not been able to escape the controversy surrounding Trump’s presidency. As ultra-wealthy donors and tech executives seek to win favour with the White House, the film’s large budget and sizable fee for Melania Trump herself, who served as executive producer, have raised eyebrows.
Here’s what you need to know about the documentary:
What is the movie about?
The 104-minute documentary follows Melania Trump, the Slovenian-American first lady, for nearly three weeks leading up to her husband’s inauguration on January 20, 2025. Amazon MGM Studios, which is distributing the film, says that it will give viewers “unprecedented access” into Melania’s life.
Marc Beckman, the film’s producer, said in an interview this week that the first lady spearheaded the film’s creative direction.
“This is not a political film at all,” Beckman said.
The movie highlights her fashion choices, diplomatic engagements and the operations surrounding her Secret Service protection. Beckman said viewers also will see moments that capture the president’s sense of humour.
When will the movie be released in theatres?
The film will debut on Thursday at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, which Trump has asserted control over and been appointed chairman of.
Melania held a private screening at the White House on January 24, attended by about 70 people, including several business executives. The first lady said in a social media post that she was “humbled” and called the release “a historic moment”.
The film was set for release in approximately 1,600 screens worldwide on Friday, including about 1,500 in the United States. The premiere will be simulcast in 21 theatres nationwide on Thursday for invited guests to help build excitement for the launch.
What was Melania’s budget?
Amazon MGM Studios bought the rights to the film in a $40m deal, in addition to $35m for a splashy advertising campaign, including a black-and-white projection of the film’s trailer onto The Sphere in Las Vegas.
The New York Times has reported that the figure includes a related docuseries that will be released later this year. Amazon paid about $26m more than the second-highest bid for the film, which came from Disney, and the film’s advertising budget is about 10 times the size of other high-profile documentaries.
Beckman, who produced the film, oversaw the movie deal with Amazon MGM Studios, plus a follow-up documentary series set for release later this year focusing on some of Melania Trump’s priorities, including children in foster care.
How much did the first lady get paid for the movie?
Melania served as executive producer of the film, giving her substantial control over editorial decisions, and will reportedly receive 70 percent of the $40m sum herself, according to the news service AFP.
What are advance ticket sales?
Trump has urged his supporters to see the film, saying that tickets are “selling out, FAST!”
According to media outlet Puck News, the documentary is expected to earn about $5m during its opening weekend in the US and Canada, according to projections from the National Research Group (NRG).
Other figures from the market researcher Boxoffice are lower, predicting opening-weekend ticket sales of between $1 and $2 million.
Neither estimate would put the film on track to break even. No major publication has reviewed the film thus far, but the critical reception is also expected to be underwhelming.
The Guardian has reported that the chief executive of Vue, one of the largest cinema operators in the United Kingdom, said that ticket sales have so far been “soft”, with just one ticket sold for the first screening on Friday at the firm’s flagship Islington branch in London.
Across social media, the film and its PR campaign have drawn ridicule with several internet users posting screenshots showing cinemas that have sold no seats for screenings of “Melania.”
How does the film’s budget compare with other documentaries?
Analysts have compared Melania with other well-known documentaries.
In a CNN segment, polling analyst Harry Enten noted that the 2004 Michael Moore documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, about the buildup to the US invasion of Iraq, had a budget of $6m, or a little more than $10m adjusted for inflation.
Enten said that the documentary brought in about $24m over its opening weekend, about $41m adjusted for inflation.
“Melania, not anywhere close,” Enten added.
“Am I Racist?”, a satirical documentary criticising “woke” culture by right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh, made about $4.5m over the opening weekend in 2024. It went on to become the year’s highest-grossing documentary film, with a budget of just $3m.
“2016: Obama’s America”, another documentary by a right-wing figure, Dinesh D’Souza, grossed a total of $33.5m domestically after being released in 2012. The film had a budget of $2.5m, about $3.5m in inflation-adjusted dollars.
Who directed ‘Melania’?
The filmmaker Brett Ratner, known for the Rush Hour franchise, directed the film.
His involvement marked an unexpected return to filmmaking after a series of sexual assault allegations largely derailed his career in 2017. Ratner has denied those allegations.
Beckman, who is also an adviser and agent for Melania Trump, told the Los Angeles Times that Ratner was “one of the most talented directors of our lifetime” who knows “not just how to create something that’s gorgeous, but also how to reach the passions and emotions of his audience”.
The 56-year-old Ratner is also set to direct a fourth Rush Hour film for Paramount Studios, which merged with Skydance Media with the approval of the Trump administration in July.
“He was very talented,” Melania Trump told Fox. “He was the best one, and he was great to work with.”
Ratner shares producer credits with the first lady, Beckman and Fernando Sulichin of New Element Media. Filming began in December 2024.
The merger placed David Ellison, son of close Trump ally and Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, in charge of operations. Trump had reportedly urged Ellison to reboot the Rush Hour franchise.
Why is the ‘Melania’ controversial?
The documentary’s substantial price tag, compared with relatively modest box office expectations, has led many to speculate that the film was bought at an inflated price to win favour with the Trump administration.
Trump’s second term has already come under scrutiny for its close ties to powerful donors and companies, which have poured money into Trump’s lavish inauguration fund, his push to build a ballroom at the White House, and a series of crypto holdings tied to Trump and his family.
An analysis by Bloomberg found that the family generated about $1.4bn from crypto ventures during Trump’s first year back in office, which has treated the industry with a light touch and tossed out lawsuits and probes into alleged wrongdoing by prominent donors.
In that context, some see the documentary as a high-priced donation to the president known for his personalistic approach to wielding power.
Conversely, in South Africa, the country’s main cinema houses have pulled the documentary with the distributor citing “the current climate”, without elaborating, local media reported.
The South African government has strained ties with Trump’s administration, which has repeated false accusations that Pretoria is behind a “white genocide” of the Afrikaans community.
Nevertheless, Ted Hope, who worked at Amazon from 2015 to 2020 and played a central role in kickstarting the company’s film division, suggested to the New York Times that Amazon’s purchase of the film “equated with currying favour”.
“This has to be the most expensive documentary ever made that didn’t involve music licensing,” Hope said. “How can it not be equated with currying favour or an outright bribe?”
