Melania Trump’s Film Debuts Amid Controversy And Glamour

On January 29, 2026, the newly rebranded Trump Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, shimmered with black-and-white branding as Melania Trump, the often enigmatic First Lady, premiered her much-anticipated film, Melania. The event, awash in glamour, was a striking moment not just for the First Lady but for the business of presidential storytelling itself. Melania, always known for keeping a low profile, stepped boldly into the spotlight, ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange earlier that week as part of a whirlwind publicity tour for the project.

The film, clocking in at 104 minutes, documents the 20 days surrounding President Donald Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025. Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, Melania promises, as the studio put it, “unprecedented access” into the First Lady’s life—capturing everything from her fashion choices and diplomatic engagements to the behind-the-scenes choreography of Secret Service protection. But Melania herself was quick to reframe expectations at the premiere. “Some have called this a documentary. It is not,” she declared to an audience of Cabinet members, conservative influencers, and minor celebrities. “It is a creative experience that offers perspectives, insights and moments.”

Those moments, curated under Melania’s full editorial control as executive producer, offer a rare glimpse into the personal and political world of a First Lady at a time of national turbulence. The film includes intimate scenes such as Melania reflecting on the loss of her mother, Amalija Knavs, in January 2024, and the careful selection of her wardrobe for inauguration events. There are also lighter, more candid exchanges—like Donald Trump quipping about the college football championship coinciding with his inauguration and musing on the prospect of riding to the Capitol with his predecessor, Joe Biden: “That’ll be interesting.”

Director Brett Ratner, best known for the Rush Hour franchise, helmed the project, marking his return to filmmaking after sexual assault allegations in 2017 sidelined his career. Ratner, who has denied the allegations, was praised by Melania for his talents. “He was very talented. He was the best one, and he was great to work with,” she told Fox. Ratner’s team was granted access to the First Lady both during and after the inauguration, including trips aboard Air Force One to storm-ravaged North Carolina and wildfire-scarred Pacific Palisades. Filming began in December 2024, and Ratner shares producer credits with Melania, her adviser Marc Beckman, and Fernando Sulichin of New Element Media.

But the movie’s creation is as much a business story as a personal one. Amazon MGM Studios purchased the rights to Melania for $40 million, outbidding Disney by $26 million, and committed an additional $35 million to a splashy global advertising campaign. This included a black-and-white trailer projection on The Sphere in Las Vegas—a spectacle befitting the Trump brand. The film’s advertising budget is about ten times larger than that of other high-profile documentaries, and the overall deal includes a related docuseries focusing on Melania’s priorities, such as children in foster care, set to be released later in the year.

Melania’s role as executive producer was not merely ceremonial. According to AFP, she is set to receive 70 percent of the $40 million sum, a figure that has raised eyebrows and fueled speculation about the nature of the deal. “She put this deal together as a private individual and she’s not an elected official, so I don’t see why we would restrict her in any way,” said Marc Beckman, her agent and senior adviser, to CNN. He emphasized that Melania was still a private citizen during the presidential transition when the contract was signed.

The film’s debut was nothing short of a spectacle. The premiere was simulcast in 21 theaters nationwide for invited guests, while Melania hosted a private screening at the White House on January 24, 2026, attended by about 70 people, including several business executives. The black carpet, a nod to Melania’s creative vision, was meticulously cleaned before the arrival of high-profile guests, including Cabinet secretaries, family members, and even Melania’s father, Viktor Knavs. The Hall of States was adorned with Melania’s name in bold letters, cocktail napkins, and posters, ensuring no one forgot whose night it was.

President Trump, who had skipped press questions earlier in the day, arrived on time for his wife’s big night. He offered a glowing review: “I got to see it for the first time the other night. It’s really good. Glamorous – very glamorous. We need some glamour.” The event also saw Speaker Mike Johnson in attendance, who declared, “I think it’s worth the investment. I think it’ll pay off.”

Yet, not everyone is convinced the film’s financials add up. Advance ticket sales projections ranged from $1 million to $5 million for the opening weekend in the US and Canada, according to Boxoffice and the National Research Group. These figures, while notable, fall far short of the film’s record-breaking budget. As CNN’s Harry Enten pointed out, Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11—with a $6 million budget—brought in $24 million on its opening weekend in 2004 (about $41 million today). Even Matt Walsh’s 2024 documentary “Am I Racist?” grossed $4.5 million with just a $3 million budget. “Melania, not anywhere close,” Enten remarked, highlighting the gap between cost and expected returns.

Internationally, the film’s rollout has not been without controversy. In South Africa, cinema chains pulled the documentary, citing “the current climate,” amid strained relations with the Trump administration. The South African government has pushed back against repeated false accusations from President Trump about alleged “white genocide” in the country, further complicating the film’s global reception.

Critics and analysts have suggested that Amazon’s lavish purchase of Melania may have less to do with box office expectations and more with political calculus. Ted Hope, a former Amazon film executive, told The New York Times, “This has to be the most expensive documentary ever made that didn’t involve music licensing. How can it not be equated with currying favour or an outright bribe?” Bloomberg’s analysis of the Trump family’s financial dealings—including $1.4 billion generated from crypto ventures during the president’s first year back in office—has only added fuel to the fire, with some observers viewing the film as a high-priced donation to an administration known for its transactional approach to power.

Still, for Melania Trump, the film’s success is measured on her own terms. “I’m very proud of the film so people may like it, may don’t like it, and that’s their choice,” she told CNN. “We achieved what we want to achieve. For myself, it’s already successful. I’m very proud of what we did.”

Whether Melania proves a box office hit or a political footnote, it has already cemented its place as an unprecedented experiment in the intersection of politics, celebrity, and commerce—one that’s sure to be debated long after the last screening ends.