First lady Melania Trump’s documentary flops
Melania Trump earned more than $10 million from the Amazon documentary about her, even as the film struggled at the box office, according to newly released financial disclosures.The first lady made $10.71 million from the Amazon MGM-produced documentary that carries her name, US President Donald Trump’s latest annual financial disclosure report shows. The filing also reveals that Melania Trump earned around $521,000 from her memoir, which was released a month before the 2024 presidential election, and just over $6 million from NFTs and other digital collectibles.The documentary cost $75 million to produce and promote. It failed to match expectations at the box office. It earned only $16 million in ticket sales and saw low audience turnout in several markets. In South Africa, the film was withdrawn from cinemas.Critics were equally unimpressed. On Rotten Tomatoes, the documentary received a 10 per cent approval rating based on 61 critics’ reviews. The Daily Beast’s Kevin Fallon described it as “a level of insipid propaganda that almost resists review; it’s so expected and utterly pointless.” The film’s poor commercial performance also triggered political scrutiny in Washington. Several members of Congress wrote to Amazon president and chief executive Andy Jassy, questioning whether Melania Trump was a “box office gamble or bribe” or whether the project formed part of a “pay-to-play arrangement” with the Trump administration.Questions over Amazon’s relationship with the Trump family also surfaced during the documentary’s premiere in January. Donald Trump was asked whether Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was “trying to get in good with you,” and how Americans had “called it corporate corruption.”Trump replied: “No, I don’t know, I mean, I don’t know really, I’m not involved in that. That was done with my wife.”Bezos has also denied suggestions that the documentary was intended to influence the administration.”We have denied it. Melania’s office has denied it. It’s not true. I had nothing to do with that,” he told CNBC last month.Bezos was accused of “buying influence” through the doc, but he said the allegations were incorrect, while adding, “I can see why people say this.”Amazon could continue working with the Trump family on future television projects. The company was considering reviving The Apprentice, with Donald Trump Jr. potentially stepping into the role made famous by his father. However, Amazon had not approached the Trump family about the idea.The Apprentice aired on NBC from 2004 to 2017 before Amazon acquired the rights in 2022. According to Donald Trump’s financial disclosure forms, the programme continues to generate significant income for him, bringing in between $100,000 and $1 million in royalties during 2024.Responding to questions about the family’s financial interests, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said: “Neither the President nor his family has ever engaged or will ever engage in conflicts of interest.”
