Political documentaries have become increasingly rare these days on the big screens, and Amazon MGM’s Melania stands out for its sheer scale of theatrical release. The documentary graced the screens with a nationwide release, and yet this ambitious rollout is nothing less than a shortfall. And for Amazon MGM, Melania comes with a heavy price tag.

Even with a projected $16 million to $20 million domestic finish, Amazon MGM will collect only about half of ticket sales after exhibitors take their cut from Melania, as reported by Variety. That would leave the studio with roughly $8 million to $10 million in box office revenue against a reported $40 million acquisition cost and $35 million marketing spend. Yet for Amazon, these losses are nothing less than marginal.

Amazon has a $2.2 trillion market cap and a business model that prioritizes Prime subscriptions, retail dominance, and long-term ecosystem value over single-title profitability; a write-down in the tens of millions amounts to a rounding error. Amazon MGM executives have consistently argued that theatrical releases function as marketing vehicles for them, helping to generate awareness and streaming engagement.

AmazonMGM's distribution chief Kevin Wilson, in 2024 with Variety, said how that how such instances are a win for the companu till the time they earn back marketing and distribution costs.

"If we can put these movies out theatrically and cover our P&A [print and advertising] costs, why wouldn’t we?,” Wilson told Variety. However, in the case of Melania, even recouping these costs is nothing less than a far-fetched dream. Many Hollywood rivals have mentioned that the aggressive spending is more about political positioning than box office returns, as Variety reported.

Although Amazon cannot get back even half of the money it invested in the documentary, Melania has polarizing views from critics and viewers alike.

Critics slam it while audiences praise Melania

Melania has drawn a highly unusual split in reception: it has been almost panned by critics globally, whereas it earned overwhelmingly positive reactions from the audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has 99% score on Popcornmeter, whereas 11% on Tomatometer.

On the other hand, the documentary has an A-rating on CinemaScore, which Melania Trump even took to her X, building a narrative that it was loved by all. The industry data reported by many, like Deadline, THR, shared how 72%  of viewers were females majorly over the age of 55.

The documentary has also done well in the rural parts and conservative strongholds in the USA, particularly in the South (Texas, Florida).

The documentary Melania gives viewers a glimpse into the First Lady Melania Trump’s life 20 days before the presidential inauguration of her husband, Donald Trump, in January 2025. It is produced by Melania Trump herself and directed by Brett Ratnar.

Despite the box office losses and a divided reception of the docuemntary Melania serves Amazon's bigger goal of generating buzz and engagement.

Have you watched Melania? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Sreelaxmi Nair

Edited by

Itti Mahajan