Amazon's $40m documentary about Melania Trump has pulled off an impressive feat at the US box office, netting $7 million on its opening weekend - more than initially forecasted and cementing it as the strongest debut for a documentary in over a decade.
While some have lauded the film as a masterclass in promoting the former first lady's interests among older conservatives, critics are sharply divided in their verdicts. With an estimated 72% of its opening-day audience comprised of women over 55 and 53% coming from Republican counties, experts predict this is key to the film's success.
However, this strategy has left many questioning whether Amazon's decision to produce and distribute this documentary was more about securing favor with Donald Trump rather than serving genuine public interest. With production costs reaching a staggering $40m - combined with an eye-watering promotional budget of $35m - this expensive endeavour is being viewed as little more than a calculated PR stunt.
The film, which chronicles Melania's return to the White House in 2025, has not received an overwhelmingly positive reception from critics. In contrast, some have praised its meticulous approach to subjects that align with Trump supporters' interests, such as patriotism, Christianity and family values.
While some have lauded the film as a masterclass in promoting the former first lady's interests among older conservatives, critics are sharply divided in their verdicts. With an estimated 72% of its opening-day audience comprised of women over 55 and 53% coming from Republican counties, experts predict this is key to the film's success.
However, this strategy has left many questioning whether Amazon's decision to produce and distribute this documentary was more about securing favor with Donald Trump rather than serving genuine public interest. With production costs reaching a staggering $40m - combined with an eye-watering promotional budget of $35m - this expensive endeavour is being viewed as little more than a calculated PR stunt.
The film, which chronicles Melania's return to the White House in 2025, has not received an overwhelmingly positive reception from critics. In contrast, some have praised its meticulous approach to subjects that align with Trump supporters' interests, such as patriotism, Christianity and family values.
. I mean, $40m production budget? That's like, what, 4x the average person's annual salary lol. And don't even get me started on how many people are still voting along party lines... I'm literally in my mid-20s and I can already see why some ppl might be skeptical about this docu. On one hand, it does seem to be pretty thorough, but at the same time, it feels like Amazon is just trying to capitalize on Melania's name recognition & her hubby's base... idk, maybe I'm just being paranoid 
?
. It raises questions about whether Amazon was just trying to curry favor with Trump fans or if they genuinely wanted to share Melania's story. Either way, it's a bold move that's definitely sparking conversations 
. One thing's for sure: this docu has people talking! 
... I mean, $40m is a wild amount of cash for a film about her life... does it even feel like a genuine attempt to tell someone's story or is it just a calculated move to curry favor with the Donald? 
The fact that it's getting such a huge response from older conservative women and Republican counties makes me wonder if Amazon was always planning this as some kind of PR stunt to win back Trump supporters... 72% of its opening-day audience is like, what even is that? 
. I think it's kinda cool that they went all in on this project, but at the same time, I'm not convinced it wasn't just a calculated move to get some good PR out of it 
.