WASHINGTON, January 31, 2026 — Amazon’s new documentary about Melania Trump defied expectations at the box office, earning over $8 million during its opening weekend in the U.S.—the strongest debut for a documentary in more than a decade. However, the film fell far short of profitability, with a combined $75 million spent on production and promotion.
A Blockbuster Debut, But a Financial Question Mark
The film’s success with conservative audiences raises questions about Amazon’s investment strategy.
- The documentary targeted older, conservative voters with themes of patriotism, Christianity, and family values.
- Despite negative critical reviews, the film resonated with audiences in the southern U.S., particularly women over 55.
- The $75 million price tag and Amazon’s promotional push have sparked debate about potential political motivations.
- Director Brett Ratner’s past controversies resurfaced during the film’s premiere, adding another layer of scrutiny.
The film follows Melania Trump as she prepared to re-enter the White House in early 2025. It was outperformed at the box office by the horror films Iron Lung and Rachel McAdams’s Send Help, but surpassed the action film Shelter in ticket sales.
What factors contributed to the documentary’s surprising box office performance? The film strategically appealed to older conservatives, emphasizing themes closely aligned with the interests of her husband’s supporters: patriotism, Christianity, and the importance of family. According to estimates from EntTelligence, a research firm, rural theaters accounted for roughly 46% of the opening-weekend box office, with Republican counties contributing about 53% of ticket sales. Florida and Texas emerged as top-performing states for the film.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the documentary defied predictions of a “bomb,” despite reports of empty seat maps in cinemas across the country.
However, critical reception was overwhelmingly negative. The Guardian described the film as “dispiriting, deadly and unrevealing,” stating, “There is a decent documentary to be made about the former model from Slovenia, but this one is unredeemable.” The Hollywood Reporter labeled it an “expensive propaganda doc” that “fawns so lavishly over its subject that you feel downright unpatriotic not gushing over it,” adding that the first lady’s achievements were presented “in such laudatory fashion that North Korea would blush.”
Donald Trump recently told reporters he “wasn’t involved” in negotiations regarding the documentary’s $75 million price tag. Melania Trump stated that producers approached several distributors, and “Amazon was the best because they agreed to do theaters all around the world.”
The film’s director, Brett Ratner—who has largely remained out of the Hollywood spotlight following numerous sexual misconduct allegations during the #MeToo movement—was questioned at the premiere about a potential quid pro quo. “That’s ridiculous, but it’s OK, I’ll answer,” he said. “I can tell you right now, if we were audited and they said, ‘How much was spent on this movie?’ This movie is one of the most expensive movies – documentaries – in the genre ever made.”
Ratner continued, “It wasn’t about getting rich. I think the Trumps are wealthy and successful enough. This is about giving me the ability to hire the best crew in the world, to not only score the film with the best composer… I mean, when you see the movie, you’ll go, ‘Oh, we see where the money went now.’ This wasn’t about corruption. Melania only cared about one thing – making a great movie for audiences.”
Coincidentally, on the same day the film opened, Ratner appeared in photos released by Trump’s justice department as part of a larger release of 3 million files pertaining to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The photos depict Ratner alongside Epstein, including one showing him with his arms around a woman between them. Ratner has not publicly commented on the photos.
It is important to note that individuals pictured in the so-called Epstein files have not been implicated in or convicted of crimes, and many who associated with Epstein, a former friend of Trump, have denied any wrongdoing.
