Reports about slow ticket sales for Melania Trump’s upcoming documentary have been circulating online. Although no one has ever seen the film in full, it has already faced mockery and backlash from critics, who have called it a waste of time. Luckily for the FLOTUS, her husband, President Donald Trump, is a very powerful man and has a wide network of friends who are willing to rescue them in times of need.
Radar Online reported that Jeff Bezos is throwing a lot of money at the problem. It is claimed that Amazon MGM Studios has committed $75 million to acquire and market the film, despite insiders saying it is struggling to gain traction with audiences before its January 30 theatrical release.
The investment breaks down plainly: forty million for the distribution rights, thirty-five million for marketing. For a documentary about the First Lady’s twenty days leading up to her husband’s inauguration, it’s an enormous bet. But Bezos isn’t leaving anything to chance.
As if that is not enough, Jeff Bezos has reportedly dispatched execs to host red-carpet premieres in nearly 24 cities, which include the world premiere at the Kennedy Center. Amid the backlash, early projections suggest a whooping $5 million opening weekend.
MELANIA, The Film
How a First Lady’s history begins.
One Moment In Time, Captured – 20 days before the U.S. Presidential inauguration.
Melania Trump’s Unfiltered Journey—family, business, philanthropy—unprecedented access into this very private person’s life (@flotus).
Only… pic.twitter.com/AwMTGYwE6t
— Marc Beckman | Some Future Day (@MarcBeckman) December 17, 2025
Marc Beckman, Melania’s agent and senior advisor, has been out front defending the project. He told Fox News Digital that Melania has been deeply involved from concept to execution. “She is fully committed from the ideation of the concept itself to the creative direction across all touchpoints,” Beckman said. He was careful to draw a distinction that mattered to his client. “This is not a documentary. This is a film.”
The reframing is deliberate. Documentaries are observational. Films are crafted experiences. Beckman emphasized that Melania Trump wanted to “create a very rich, cinematic experience unlike anything that has been created before.” The film will screen in 1,400 theaters across 27 countries—unusually wide distribution for a documentary, which typically plays in limited release.
What’s in it? Beckman laid it out: “She brings the audience into certain moments—interacting with her husband; the U.S. Secret Service for security; geopolitical moments; moments with world leaders; and—of course, for those who want it—there are tons of fashion here.” The emphasis on fashion makes sense. Melania has built her public identity around style. Her inaugural gown alone generated headlines and fashion analysis for weeks.
President Donald Trump has previously said that Melania’s documentary is worth watching. “I’ve seen pieces of it, it’s incredible,” the father of Barron shared.
First Lady Melania Trump talks about her upcoming film, titled MELANIA:
“A first of its kind, capturing the 20 days of my life before the inauguration. 20 intense days of transformation from private citizen to First Lady.”
MELANIA will be released in theaters on January 30,… pic.twitter.com/RDl4pRkK2k
— FLOTUS Report (@MELANIAJTRUMP) November 7, 2025
The POTUS then compared it to the FLOTUS’s memoir, published in October 2024 and instantly a number-one bestseller. “She did a book, and the book was a big number one bestseller, and this is a movie, and it seems to be captivating a lot of people’s attention,” Donald Trump stated, though early sales data suggest the captivation may not be translating to tickets.
The documentary’s origins trace back to Mar-a-Lago. Melania pitched the project to Bezos and his girlfriend, Lauren Sánchez, at Trump’s Palm Beach estate. Both showed their support by attending the inauguration prominently. That alignment is significant. Bezos doesn’t typically involve himself in political projects. His decision to back this one, and to back it so heavily, suggests either confidence in the product or a desire to maintain goodwill with the incoming administration.
The film itself diverges from Melania’s memoir in scope and subject matter. While the book covered her childhood in Slovenia and her rise to First Lady, the movie focuses exclusively on a compressed twenty-day period.
