Amazon Is Actually Sinking Whopping $75 Million Into Melania Trump Documentary — Box Office Looking Dismal: Report

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, walk the red carpet before the 48th Kennedy Center Honors, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Amazon is actually sinking $75 million to their new Melania Trump documentary rather than just the initially reported $40 million that was paid for the distribution rights, according to a new report.

Puck’s Matthew Belloni reported that Amazon MGM Studios is sinking $35 million into its prints and advertising budget for the Brett Ratner-directed Melania, which opens in more than 1,0000 theaters on January 30. It is also opening in more than a dozen international territories.

A $35 million advertising budget for a documentary is about as unusual as paying $40 million for the rights to one. Documentaries typically don’t pull in big dollars at the box office, unless the documentary happens to be a Taylor Swift concert. Films typically need to make about twice their total cost to turn a profit.

The Melania movie will be holding a premiere, which will be attended by President Donald Trump and the first lady, at the recently-renamed Kennedy Center. The first lady will also be holding a private screening of the movie on Saturday at the White House.

For its long range projection on January 2, Box Office Pro estimated the Melania documentary would open between $1 million and $2 million on its opening weekend. National Research Group, however, projected a stronger opening weekend domestically at $5 million.

Melania follows the first lady in the days leading up to her husband’s inauguration. Besides its price tag that critics have raised a red flag over, the movie also brings some controversy with it as it serves as a comeback vehicle of sorts for filmmaker Brett Ratner. It’s his first directorial project since 2014’s Hercules. Ratner saw a number of professional roadways close at the height of the #MeToo era when he was accused of sexual assault by multiple women, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge.

Ratner will next reportedly be directing Rush Hour 4. He previously directed the original three, and the latest in the buddy cop franchise was reportedly greenlit at Paramount after Trump urged Paramount owner Larry Ellison to revive the franchise.

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